Department for Transport

Railways: Fylde

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2017 to Question 118759, what representations his Department has received on a business case for increasing the frequency of train services on the South Fylde line to (a) Lytham, (b) Ansdell and (c) St Annes; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: The Department has not received representations on a business case for increasing the frequency of train services on the South Fylde line.

Members: Correspondence

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to the letter from The Right hon. Member for Enfield North, dated 24 October 2017, on the development of the Northern Gateway Access Package.

Jesse Norman: I replied on 21 December 2017.

Heathrow Airport: Night Flying

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of imposing an eight hour night flight ban at Heathrow Airport; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: Following consultation, in October 2017, the Government implemented a new five-year night flight regime at Heathrow, which will end in October 2022. This regime limits the number of scheduled movements to an average of sixteen per night for a six and a half hour night period. The revised draft Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) sets out the Government’s expectation for a six and a half hour ban on scheduled night flights at an expanded Heathrow. Should the revised draft Airports NPS be designated, consideration of any ban, including timings, would be subject to the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Balanced Approach to noise management, including consultation with local communities and other interested parties.

Heathrow Airport: Noise

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a legally binding noise envelope at Heathrow Airport; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: The revised draft Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) makes clear that any noise envelope at an expanded Heathrow should be tailored to local priorities and include clear noise performance targets. If the revised draft Airports NPS is designated, the design of any noise envelope would be defined in consultation with local communities and relevant stakeholders.

Aviation: Noise

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will assess the potential merits of changing the boundaries at which communities affected by aircraft noise receive compensation.

Mr John Hayes: Following its recent Airspace Policy consultation, the Department implemented changes to its policy on compensation for communities affected by noise as a result of airspace change. The Government will undertake additional consideration of this issue through the new aviation strategy it is currently developing.

Heathrow Airport: Noise

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Heathrow Airport on potential boundary changes to its Quieter Homes scheme.

Mr John Hayes: There have been no discussions between the Department for Transport and Heathrow Airport on potential changes to Heathrow’s Quieter Homes scheme.Whilst the Government sets the guidelines on when it expect airport operators to provide compensation to local communities, decision on how to apply the guidance are for the airport itself.

Heathrow Airport: Air Pollution

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on air quality of the construction of a third runway at Heathrow.

Mr John Hayes: The Government believes that the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme can be delivered without impacting on the UK’s compliance with air quality limit values, given the measures set out in the Government’s air quality plan, and with a suitable package of mitigation measures taken forward by the promoter. Should the revised draft Airports National Policy Statement be designated, then it would be for the promoter to undertake a detailed assessment of the air quality impacts of the scheme, including during construction, and put forward to the Planning Inspectorate an appropriate package of mitigations that address air quality impacts and demonstrate compliance with air quality obligations. In order to grant development consent, the Secretary of State would need to be satisfied that, with mitigation, the scheme would be compliant with legal obligations.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much has accrued to the public purse in fare revenues from the GTR franchise agreement for each rail period since the beginning of that franchise.

Paul Maynard: The revenue paid to the Department for the Thameslink Southern and Great Northern franchise is shown in the Go Ahead group accounts: https://www.go-ahead.com/en/investors/results-reports-presentations.html. The Department does not break down the revenue into individual brands.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what money has accrued to the public purse from rail revenues from the Southern section of the GTR franchise for each rail period since the beginning of that franchise.

Paul Maynard: The revenue paid to the Department for the Thameslink Southern and Great Northern franchise is shown in the Go Ahead group accounts: https://www.go-ahead.com/en/investors/results-reports-presentations.html. The Department does not break down the revenue into individual brands.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Industrial Disputes

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State’s letter to the Chair of the Transport Committee of 17 November 2016, what the loss to date is of farebox revenues arising from official industrial action on GTR.

Paul Maynard: Govia Thameslink Trains Limited has advised that the loss to date of farebox revenues arising from official industrial action on GTR services is £22.2m.

Govia Thameslink Railway: Industrial Disputes

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State’s letter to the Chair of the Transport Select Committee of 17 November 2016, what the loss to date in farebox revenue has been which has arisen from alleged official industrial action on GTR.

Paul Maynard: Govia Thameslink Trains Limited has advised that the loss to date of farebox revenues arising from official industrial action on GTR services is £22.2m.

Railways: Compensation

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State’s letter of the Chair of the Transport Select Committee of 17 November 2016, how much has been paid to customers to date under the Delay Repay passenger compensation scheme to date; and who is responsible for funding those payments.

Paul Maynard: The compensation payments made by Train Operating Companies (TOC) to passengers up to 2016/17 are published on the GOV.UK website, see following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation. The funding of compensation payments depends on the franchise agreement that the TOC has with the DfT and whether or not the TOC is paying the Department for Transport profit share or is eligible for revenue support.

London-Coventry Railway Line: Mobile Phones

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the level of availability of mobile phone coverage on the Coventry to London train line

Paul Maynard: The Department has consulted on both the West Midlands Rail Franchise (WM) and Intercity West Coast Rail Franchise (ICWC), which operate on the Coventry to London line. ICWC services will form part of the new West Coast Partnership Rail Franchise (WCP). Responses to the consultations from both stakeholders and the public highlighted mobile connectivity as an important area for improvement. These responses informed the specification for WM franchise, which commenced on 10 December 2017, and the WCP franchise, which is due to begin in early 2019. As part of both new franchises there will be improvements to mobile connectivity and for WCP the winning bidder will be required to provide a report to the Secretary of State on the signal strength and capacity of the route.

Road Traffic Control

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making greater use of tidal flow carriageways to help reduce congestion at rush hours in towns and cities; if he will take steps to encourage local highway authorities to make greater use of such carriageways; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Section 16 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 introduced a network management duty for local traffic authorities to manage their road networks with a view to “achieving, so far as may be reasonably practicable, the expeditious movement of traffic on the authority’s road network”. Local traffic authorities have a range of tools available, including tidal flow carriageways, to manage congestion and are responsible for deciding which measures are appropriate for use on their roads.

Blue Badge Scheme

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints his Department has received on the eligibility criteria for Blue Badges; and whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend those criteria; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: This information is not recorded. The Department is reviewing how the scheme works for people with hidden disabilities, to ensure that the rules and guidance are clear and that those with the greatest needs have access to badges. It is too early to say what the outcome of this work will be.

A75: Scotland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on improvements to the A75 road network.

Jesse Norman: Road investment in Scotland is a devolved matter and any plans to improve the A75 therefore fall to the Scottish Government. Where there are areas of cross-border interest, UK Ministers remain keen to collaborate with their Scottish counterparts. The Department is contributing to discussions about the proposed Borderlands Growth Deal, which includes an aspiration to improve the A75.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State’s letter to the Chair of the Transport Committee of 17 November 2016, what estimate it has made or received from GTR of the cost to date of (a) continuing GTR poor performance and (b) revisions its timetable on revenue receipts; and what proportion of that cost has been met by (a) the Government and (b) GTR.

Paul Maynard: The Department has not made or received any further estimates on these costs. Due to the nature of the contract, any costs incurred, for example the provision of replacement bus services, are a commercial matter for Govia Thameslink Trains Limited and will have been met by them.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the financial value of the force majeure claims by GTR which were agreed by the Government.

Paul Maynard: The Department does not calculate the financial value of GTR’s Force Majeure claims, as under the terms of GTR’s franchise agreement, the outcome of any train operators’ Force Majeure claim are incorporated in their annual performance regime, which measures performance over 12 months and calculates penalty or bonus incentives. There are no separate calculations on the value of individual claims.

Bicycles: Hire Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities have the necessary powers to regulate and manage bike-share schemes in their local authority areas.

Jesse Norman: Local authorities currently have powers to act if bicycles, including shared bicycles, are causing an obstruction or nuisance. However, the Department has received representations to the effect that local authorities may find it useful to have specific powers to regulate these schemes, and is continuing to discuss possible ways forward with stakeholders.

Bicycles: Hire Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to promote bike-share schemes in towns and cities.

Jesse Norman: The Government agrees that bike-share schemes have the potential to deliver various benefits, provided they are introduced and managed responsibly. This is already a very vibrant sector, however, and it would not be appropriate for the Government to promote individual schemes.

Bicycles: Hire Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the extent of growth of bike-share schemes.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport continues to have regular dialogue with local authorities and others, including bike-share providers, about the growth of bike-share schemes and its potential impacts, and is keeping this matter under review.

Bicycles: Hire Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of effectiveness of bike-share schemes in supporting improvements in air quality.

Jesse Norman: The Government agrees that bike-share schemes have the potential to deliver various benefits, provided they are introduced and managed responsibly, but has not carried out any detailed assessment of their potential impact on air quality.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on air quality of the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Mr John Hayes: The Government believes that the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme can be delivered without impacting on the UK’s compliance with air quality limit values, given the measures set out in the Government’s air quality plan, and with a suitable package of mitigation measures taken forward by the promoter. Should the revised draft Airports National Policy Statement be designated, then it would be for the promoter to undertake a detailed assessment of the air quality impacts of the scheme, including during construction, and put forward to the Planning Inspectorate an appropriate package of mitigations that address air quality impacts and demonstrate compliance with air quality obligations. In order to grant development consent, the Secretary of State would need to be satisfied that, with mitigation, the scheme would be compliant with legal obligations.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proposals he plans to put in place to mitigate the negative air quality effects of a third runway at Heathrow.

Mr John Hayes: Should the revised draft Airports National Policy Statement be designated, then it would be for the promoter to undertake a detailed assessment of the air quality impacts of the scheme and put forward to the Planning Inspectorate an appropriate package of mitigations that address air quality impacts and demonstrate compliance with air quality obligations. The precise package of mitigation measures would be subject to consultation with local communities to ensure that the most effective measures are taken forward. Furthermore, in order to grant development consent, the Secretary of State would need to be satisfied that, with mitigation, the scheme would be compliant with legal obligations.

Aviation: Carbon Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the measures required to keep aviation CO2 emissions to 37.5MegaTonnes in line with the modelling in the 4th and 5th carbon budgets.

Mr John Hayes: The Government remains open to considering all feasible measures to ensure that the aviation sector contributes fairly to UK emissions reductions, and is committed to meeting its emissions reduction targets under the Climate Change Act. There are a range of measures available to reduce carbon emissions from aviation, including biofuels, airspace reform and improvements in technology. As mentioned in the Clean Growth Strategy, the Government will set out its strategic approach to the aviation sector in a series of consultations leading to the publication of a new Aviation Strategy for the UK. The Strategy will consider what the best approach and combination of policy measures are to ensure we effectively address carbon emissions from aviation.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which measures in addition to those set out in the Clean Growth Strategy will be required to keep aviation emissions to 37.5 MegaTonnes.

Mr John Hayes: The Government remains open to considering all feasible measures to ensure that the aviation sector contributes fairly to UK emissions reductions, and is committed to meeting its emissions reduction targets under the Climate Change Act. There are a range of measures available to reduce carbon emissions from aviation, including biofuels, airspace reform and improvements in technology. As mentioned in the Clean Growth Strategy, the Government will set out its strategic approach to the aviation sector in a series of consultations leading to the publication of a new Aviation Strategy for the UK. The Strategy will consider what the best approach and combination of policy measures are to ensure we effectively address carbon emissions from aviation.

Aviation

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 119564, on aviation, what the reasons are for the directions and advice in place in the cases of (a) Libya, (b) Syria, (c) Yemen, (d) Iraq, (e) Somalia, (f) Ukraine and (g) Egypt.

Mr John Hayes: The Department provides advice to operators of UK registered aircraft on the risks of using a country’s airspace or Flight Information Region (FIR) in areas where an elevated level of risk is assessed due to activities on the ground. This advice is issued by the Civil Aviation Authority in the form of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). The level of advice is determined based on the threat posed to aircraft in that airspace and a risk assessment is completed, based on the best available information, before any advice is issued. In certain cases the advice is supplemented by a Direction not to operate.The reasons for the current NOTAMs in the areas mentioned are:a) Potential risk to aviation overflying Libya from dedicated anti-aviation weaponry.b) Potential risk to aviation overflying Syria from dedicated anti-aviation weaponry.c) Potential risk to aviation overflying Yemen from dedicated anti-aviation weaponry.d) Potential risk to aviation overflying Iraq from dedicated anti-aviation weaponry.e) Potential risk to aviation overflying Somalia at less than 25,000ft above ground level from dedicated anti-aircraft weaponryf) Potential risk to aviation overflying eastern Ukraine from dedicated anti-aviation weaponry and the potential for confusion over air traffic control service provision in the Simferopol (UKFV) FIRg) Potential risk to aviation overflying Egyptian airspace in Northern Sinai Governate at less than 25,000 ft above ground level from dedicated anti-aircraft weaponry.Additionally, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all but essential travel by air to or from Sharm el Sheikh following the downing of a Metrojet flight in October 2015.Advice is kept under regular review.

Parking Offences: Pedestrian Areas

Chris Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will carry out research into how best to tackle pavement parking; and what the timetable is for the consultation of Traffic Regulation Orders.

Jesse Norman: The Department plans to conduct a survey on Traffic Regulation Orders in the Spring. The Department is currently considering the options for dealing with pavement parking, and expects to engage with interested parties in the near future.

Bus Services: Information

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to consult on the Accessible Information Regulations.

Jesse Norman: The Bus Services Act 2017 includes powers to require the provision of audible and visible information on local bus services throughout Great Britain. The Government is committed to working with disabled people, bus companies, the devolved administrations and other key stakeholders when developing associated Regulations and Guidance. The Government will consult more widely on its proposals in 2018.

Bus Services: Information

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with bus operators on the provisions of Section 17 of the Bus Services Act 2017 on providing accessible information for bus passengers in the last 12 months.

Jesse Norman: The Government is committed to working with a range of stakeholders during the development of the Regulations that will be made under Section 17 of the Bus Services Act 2017 to require the provision of audible and visible information on buses. Both Ministers and officials meet with representatives of the bus operators regularly, but we do not comment on the content of individual meetings.

Uber

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he will introduce regulations in response to the ruling by the European Court of Justice on 20 December 2017 that Uber is a transport company and not a digital service.

Mr John Hayes: Uber has always been regulated as a private hire vehicle operator in England and Wales, therefore no additional or revised regulation is required as a consequence of the European Court of Justice ruling. I announced in a Westminster Hall debate that I would be setting up a working group to consider current issues concerning taxi and PHV licensing. That group has now been formed and will report its findings to me early this year.

Speed Limits

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of 20 mph zones on road safety for pedestrians.

Jesse Norman: Atkins, Aecom and Professor Mike Maher were commissioned by the Department for Transport in 2014, to address a gap in the evidence available on the effectiveness of 20mph speed limit (signed only) schemes. While there is evidence suggesting that 20mph zones are effective in reducing collisions and speeds (as well as leading to other benefits), there is an evidence gap on the effectiveness of 20mph speed limits (i.e. 20mph limits with no physical traffic calming measures). This research is in progress, and the Department expects to publish the final report in Spring-Summer 2018.

Rapid Transit Systems: Oxford

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a light rail system to Oxford.

Jesse Norman: The Government supports light rail where it can be shown to be the best solution to an area’s transport needs. No assessment has been made by the Department for Transport on the potential merits of introducing a light rail system to Oxford. It is for the respective local authorities to decide whether light rail is the right solution and to develop plans accordingly.

Railways: Greater London

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of first class train seating capacity that is used for (a) peak and (b) off-peak travel for (i) First Great Western main line services out of Paddington, (ii) Virgin Trains main line services out of Euston and (iii) Virgin Trains East Coast main line services out of Kings Cross.

Paul Maynard: There is no published information regarding the proportion of First Class seating capacity used on First Great Western services from Paddington, Virgin Trains services from Euston or Virgin Trains East Coast services from Kings Cross.

Railways: Fares

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the rail fare rises due in January 2018 on (a) demand and (b) fare revenue for (i) regulated fares and (ii) unregulated fares.

Paul Maynard: The Department makes long-term projections of rail demand and revenues, for planning and budgeting purposes, and to assess the case for enhancement schemes. These take into account a range of factors including changes in yield but are not split in the way suggested.

Railways: Fares

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the increase in rail fares due in January 2018 on demand for (a) Virgin Trains East Coast main line services, (b) Virgin Trains West Coast main line services and (c) First Great Western services.

Paul Maynard: The Department makes long-term projections of rail demand and revenues, which take into account a range of factors including changes in yield. Estimates of the effect on individual train operating companies is proprietary and would risk damaging commercial positions if released.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Building Regulations: Disability

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when the Government plans to publish its response to the recommendations made by the Women and Equalities Committee in its report, Building for Equality: Disability and the Built Environment, HC 631, published on 25 April 2017;  and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to the Hon Member for Oxford West and Abingdon on 9 November 2017 (reference 110830).

Persimmon Homes: Pay

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the implications for (a) his policies on and (b) Government funding for help to buy of the level of the bonus awarded by Persimmons to its Chief Executive in December 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: Under this Government, new house building starts and first time buyers are at their highest levels for nine years. The annual number of new homes started has doubled from the level Labour left behind and there are 120,000 more First Time Buyers a year. The Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme has played an important role by helping 134,000 households buy their own home since 2013 and approximately 80 per cent of these were first time buyers. The scheme does not provide a subsidy to house builders but offers a repayable loan to buyers of new homes.In 2016 Help to Buy sales made up only 3 per cent of total house sales and an independent evaluation found no evidence to suggest the scheme has driven up house prices. We want to see builders investing in growing supply and have committed to work with the sector to consider the future of the scheme beyond 2021.

Public Houses

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of pubs in operation in England.

Jake Berry: My Department supports the community ownership of pubs through the £3.62 million More Than A Pub Programme which is jointly funded with Power to Change, the independent trust supporting community businesses in England.This programme provides bespoke advice and support plus grants and loans to community groups who wish to take ownership of a pub. Power to Change is currently considering an extension to the programme beyond March 2018. The Government has also created a community pubs loan fund, which will continue to be available to community pubs until 2025.My Department does not collect or hold information on the number of pubs in operation in England.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended; and what the net cost to (A) the public purse; and (B) business of those regulations is.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department.

Jake Berry: The changes to regulations affecting business during the 2010-15 Parliament are recorded in Statements of New Regulation that were published every six months. These are available on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/one-in-two-out-statement-of-new-regulation.For the 2015-17 Parliament, the Government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that Parliament.For the current Parliament, the Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. This will be monitored through the target that the Government is required to set under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.

Department for Communities and Local Government: EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which EU (a) Directives, (b) Regulations and (c) other legislation affecting his Department he is planning to propose the (i) revocation and (ii) amendment of after the UK leaves the EU.

Jake Berry: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will retain EU law as it applies in the UK on exit day.We expect between 800 and 1000 statutory instruments will be required across Government to correct this retained EU law to ensure the statute book functions appropriately outside the EU. All Departments are engaged in this process.Once we leave the EU, we will make our own laws. As we leave the EU, the Government’s EU exit legislative programme is designed to cater for the full range of negotiated and non-negotiated outcomes.

Leasehold

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Ministerial statement HCWS384 on  21 December 2017 on commonhold and leasehold reform, what plans he has to provide local authorities with the additional resources necessary to enable trading standards to provide leaseholders with comprehensive information on the various routes to redress.

Alok Sharma: We are in discussions with Trading Standards and the Leasehold Advisory Service on the process for providing leaseholders with comprehensive information on routes to redress and will provide more details shortly.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Shipbuilding

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans further to develop the National Shipbuilding Strategy to include commercial as well as naval shipbuilding opportunities in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The shipbuilding industry is leading the Maritime Enterprise Working Group with support of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Ministry of Defence to develop an in-depth understanding of the opportunity for the wider UK supply chain in the domestic and international markets in both commercial and naval.

Credit Cards: Debts

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the contribution of credit card debt to personal insolvency over the last five years.

Margot James: The Insolvency Service regularly assesses how changes in debt levels impact on the number of personal insolvencies. It considers a wide range of economic indicators to determine which has the greater impact on levels of personal insolvency. Over the last five years, the analysis has shown that total household debt is a better indicator of personal insolvency movements than levels of credit card debt.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of his Department's Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions in the 2017-18 Session to date have referred to the information requested not being (a) collected or (b) collated centrally.

Margot James: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 28 December 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has answered 1675 Written Parliamentary Questions so far this session as of 21st December. Of these, 3 questions (0.18% of questions asked) have referred to the information not being collated and 4 questions (0.24% of questions asked) have referred to the information not being collected centrally.The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has answered 1675 Written Parliamentary Questions so far this session as of 21st December. Of these, 4 questions (0.24% of questions asked) have referred to the information not being collected and 3 questions (0.18% of questions asked) have referred to the information not being collated centrally.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has answered 1675 Written Parliamentary Questions so far this session as of 21st December. Of these, 3 questions (0.18% of questions asked) have referred to the information not being collated and 4 questions (0.24% of questions asked) have referred to the information not being collected centrally.The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has answered 1675 Written Parliamentary Questions so far this session as of 21st December. Of these, 4 questions (0.24% of questions asked) have referred to the information not being collected and 3 questions (0.18% of questions asked) have referred to the information not being collated centrally.

Offshore Industry: North Sea

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) shore-based maritime, (b) seafarer and (c) supply chain jobs that will be created in the UK as a result of decommissioning activity in the North Sea in each year until 2025.

Richard Harrington: With increasing numbers of offshore oil and gas fields reaching the end of their economic life, forecasts from industry estimate that the annual expenditure for decommissioning over the next 5 years will be in the region of £1.7 to £2 billion. With recent estimates from industry suggesting that decommissioning will represent around 11 per cent of total expenditure on oil and gas for 2017, and the industry will have provided over 300,000 jobs in total in the UK, decommissioning is already supporting a significant number of UK jobs.

Offshore Industry: North Sea

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that National Minimum Wage rates are (a) applied and (b)  enforced for seafarers employed to work on oil and gas decommissioning projects on the UK continental shelf.

Margot James: The National Minimum Wage (Offshore Employment) Order 1999 applies the 1998 National Minimum Wage Act to offshore employment in the territorial waters of the UK and the UK sector of the continental shelf. The Government is clear that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) or National Living Wage (NLW) should receive it. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigates every complaint it receives and workers can call the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) Helpline (on 0300 123 1100) for information and guidance about the NMW, or visit their website (www.acas.org.uk). Furthermore, the Government has established the Legal Working Group on Seafarers to improve the guidance on these matters, and to ensure seafarers are aware of their rights.

Tidal Lagoons Independent Review

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the Hendry review.

Richard Harrington: The Department’s revised estimate of the costs incurred by the Hendry Review, excluding the salaries of seconded civil servants, is approximately £156,000.

Tidal Power

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to answer of 13 December to Question 118103, whether Tidal Range is classified as a less established technology that is eligible to participate in auctions for additional contracts for difference under the Control for Low Carbon Levies announced in Autumn Budget 2017.

Richard Harrington: Tidal range has not been eligible to participate in Contract for Difference auctions due to its particular characteristics, including: lack of cost data available and the site specific nature of these technologies. The list of technologies that were eligible to participate in the most recent auction for less established technologies was set out in the answer I gave to Question 118103; tidal range did not fall within that list.

Gratuities

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to publish the response to the consultation on Tips, gratuities, cover and service charges which closed on 27 June 2016.

Margot James: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 22 December 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Neither my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State, nor I have had discussions with charities about the impact of these rules on their work. The State aid rules apply to funding given to charities, as they would for any other body, where they are involved in economic activities. The rules are blind as to legal form; rather they are concerned with whether an entity is undertaking economic activities. And equally State aid may be granted legally to charities on the same terms as anyone else if it complies with the rules.The Government is considering the responses to this consultation, and will respond in due course.

Margot James: Neither my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State, nor I have had discussions with charities about the impact of these rules on their work. The State aid rules apply to funding given to charities, as they would for any other body, where they are involved in economic activities. The rules are blind as to legal form; rather they are concerned with whether an entity is undertaking economic activities. And equally State aid may be granted legally to charities on the same terms as anyone else if it complies with the rules.The Government is considering the responses to this consultation, and will respond in due course.

Energy: Meters

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the cyber security of smart meters; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Security lies at the heart of smart metering systems and has been a key consideration at every stage of system development. Robust security controls have been developed and are independently reviewed regularly to ensure the systems remain protected. Requirements include the need to protect personal data, detect and prevent unauthorised access and ensure a secure link is in place between the devices and the wider communication network.

Working Hours: EU Law

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of the full-time workforce choose to opt out of the Working Time Directive.

Margot James: The Department does not routinely collect comprehensive information about how many workers opt-out of the 48 hour maximum working week. However, the Department conducted a review of the impact of the Working Time Regulations in 2014. The review reports roughly one third (32 per cent) of British workplaces had at least one employee who had signed an opt-out agreement in 2011. Labour Force Survey analysis shows that the proportion of employees usually working over 48 hours a week has also declined over time. 13 per cent of all employees worked over 48 hours a week in 2013, compared to 18 per cent in 1997. More information can be found in the Department’s review of the impact of the Working Time Regulations: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/389676/bis-14-1287-the-impact-of-the-working-time-regulations-on-the-uk-labour-market-a-review-of-evidence.pdf

Tidal Lagoons Independent Review

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to publish its full response to the Hendry review.

Richard Harrington: A Government response to the Hendry Review will be published in due course.

Industry: Cheltenham

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to promote engagement with residents and businesses in Cheltenham constituency on the industrial strategy in order to maximise the benefits of that strategy to that local area.

Claire Perry: The launch of the Green Paper, ‘Building our Industrial Strategy’, in January 2017, commenced an extensive period of consultation, capturing feedback to inform the development of the White Paper. Over 2,000 organisations from across the country responded to the consultation, including a wide range of businesses, public sector organisations and private individuals. The White Paper set out the government’s approach to working with places to maximise the benefits of the Industrial Strategy, based on the belief that the people best placed to drive forward local economies are those who live, work and do business in them. It included a variety of new opportunities for Local Enterprise Partnerships to drive local economic growth. I am sure that GFirst, the LEP for Gloucestershire, will be keen to build on the area’s cyber security strength with Cheltenham home to GCHQ.The White Paper also included proposals to work with local leaders to develop Local Industrial Strategies, which will establish new ways of working between national leaders in both the public and private sectors, harnessing their local insights to develop clear, long-term strategies for future growth. Universities, colleges and other local institutions will be key in this process.

Carbon Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the sensitivity analysis which sets out the emissions reductions by each sector of the economy.

Claire Perry: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy publishes annual updated energy and emissions projections, which project future energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. These include projections of emissions reductions by sector, and sensitivity to fossil fuel prices and economic growth.The 2017 energy and emissions projections are the most recent published projections, and were published on Jan 2nd 2018. They are available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-projections-2017

Bankruptcy

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many bankruptcy cases there were in each year since 2010.

Margot James: The Insolvency Service produces quarterly statistics on the number of new insolvencies for companies and individuals in England and Wales. The most recent statistics, covering the period July to September 2017, which include a comparison with previous periods, were published on Friday 27 October 2017 on gov.uk

Minimum Wage: Social Services

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of retrospective changes to the guidance on the application of the national minimum wage to sleep-in shifts on care workers in the learning disability sector; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: The legislation and policy regarding sleep-in shifts remains unchanged. However, employment tribunal judgments have, over time, clarified the position on what constitutes “work” in connection with sleeping time and therefore when the National Minimum Wage is payable for sleep-in shifts. Government guidance issued in February 2015 included clarification from those judgments. We are clear that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum or National Living Wage should receive it.The Government is exploring further options to minimise any impact on the sector as a consequence of arrears arising from sleep-in shifts. Any intervention must be proportionate and necessary, and it must satisfy EU state aid rules on government support for private organisations. We are therefore engaging more widely with the social care sector, including the learning disability sector, to strengthen the evidence base.

Business: Human Rights

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for his Department to respond to the Sixth Report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Human Rights and Business 2017: Promoting responsibility and ensuring accountability, HC443 of Session 2016–17.

Margot James: The Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office jointly led preparation of the Government’s response, which was passed to the Committee on 13 December. I understand the Committee is to consider and then publish the Government’s response.

Electric Vehicles

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on energy supplies of the estimated numbers of electric and hybrid vehicles on UK roads by 2020.

Claire Perry: We have regular discussions with all the key parties in the electricity systems – including energy suppliers, network operators and National Grid – to ensure that they are prepared for electric vehicle take up. We are also taking powers as part of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill, announced in the Queen’s speech, which will mean all chargepoints sold or installed in the UK will be ‘Smart’ enabled. Smart charging has the potential to reduce the demands from electric vehicles by ensuring their charging can flex to meet grid needs. Through their ‘Future Energy Scenarios’ work published on 13 July 2017, National Grid project that with smart charging the additional peak demand caused by electric vehicles in GB could be reduced to 6GW in 2050. Northern Ireland Electricity Networks is responsible for the transmission and distribution of electricity in Northern Ireland, and energy policy in Northern Ireland is devolved.

Small Businesses: Conditions of Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effects of employment regulations on micro-businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: Government assesses all significant new employment regulation on all types of businesses, including micro businesses, through undertaking impact assessments. The Government commissioned Matthew Taylor to conduct an independent review into modern working practices. The review was published in July 2017 and highlighted the strengths of the UK’s flexible labour market relative to other countries. However, the review also proposed new measures the Government should take to improve outcomes for all those participating in the labour market. The Government will respond shortly.

Business: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which regulations affecting business his Department has withdrawn or amended in each year since 2010 to date; which regulations affecting business his Department plans to withdraw or amend in (i) 2018 and (ii) years beyond 2018; and what estimate he has made of the net cost to business to withdrawal or amendment of each withdrawn or amended regulation.

Margot James: The changes to regulations affecting business during the 2010-15 Parliament are recorded in Statements of New Regulation that were published every six months. These are available on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/one-in-two-out-statement-of-new-regulation. For the 2015-17 Parliament, the Government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that Parliament. This will be published on www.gov.uk. As we leave the EU, the Government is committed to maximising certainty for individuals and businesses, making the UK the best place in the world to do business. This will mean fostering a high quality, stable and predictable regulatory environment, whilst also actively taking opportunities to support innovative business models. It is not possible to give a definitive figure on which regulations will be withdrawn or amended in (i) 2018 and (ii) years beyond 2018. This is because the volume of legislation will depend on policy decisions to be taken.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which EU (a) Directives, (b) Regulations and (c) other legislation affecting his Department he is planning to propose the (i) revocation and (ii) amendment of after the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will retain EU law as it applies in the UK on exit day.We expect between 800 and 1000 statutory instruments will be required across Government to correct this retained EU law to ensure the statute book functions appropriately outside the EU. All Departments are engaged in this process.Once we leave the EU, we will make our own laws. As we leave the EU, the Government’s EU exit legislative programme is designed to cater for the full range of negotiated and non-negotiated outcomes.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to page 85 of the Government's Clean Growth Strategy, what estimate he has made of the actual and projected emissions for the aviation sector for (a) 2030, (b) 2040 and (c) 2050; and what estimate he has made of the required level of aviation emissions if emissions from from transport need to be as low as 3 Mt by 2050.

Claire Perry: Latest BEIS data shows that carbon dioxide emissions from UK departing flights in 2015 were 34.5 Mt. DfT’s October 2017 aviation forecasts give CO2 emissions from UK departing flights of between 36.6 and 45.7Mt in 2030; between 36.3 and 45.1Mt in 2040; and between 35.0 and 44.3Mt in 2050, depending on demand scenario and airport capacity options. The Government will set out its strategic approach to the aviation sector in a series of consultations leading to the publication of a new Aviation Strategy for the UK. The Strategy will consider what the best approach and combination of policy measures are to ensure we effectively address carbon emissions from aviation. The 3 Mt figure quoted from page 85 of the Clean Growth Strategy concerns emissions from transport not including domestic or international aviation and shipping.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department.

Margot James: For the current Parliament, the Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. The Department both monitors and reviews the impact of regulation through the Business Impact Target (BIT) and statutory review clauses. In addition, policy teams regularly speak with stakeholders and monitor data and intelligence to understand the impact of regulation. The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act (SBEE) 2015 requires the Government to publish its progress against the BIT. This involves publishing an annual BIT report on the estimated impact of regulatory changes in that year. In order to produce this information, the Department is required to collect and collate information on costs or benefits to business of regulatory changes over the year. The BIT report for the 2015-17 Parliament will be published shortly.

Ryanair

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent representations he has received on working conditions at Ryanair.

Margot James: Ministers and officials across the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy discuss and consider a wide range of business issues on a regular basis and with many business and employee representative stakeholders. This Government is clear that employers must take their employment law responsibilities seriously and cannot simply opt out of them. Any worker who believes that they are being treated unfairly should contact the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) helpline on 0300 123 1100 for guidance.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bahrain: Prisoners

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of Bahrain on the treatment of women in Bahrain's Isa Town Women's Prison.

Alistair Burt: The Government monitors events in Bahrain closely. We regularly raise human rights concerns with the Bahraini authorities in private and public and will continue to do so. Where we have concerns on specific cases we raise these at an appropriately senior level. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the relevant human rights oversight bodies.

Turkey: Islamic State

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on suspected IS terrorists using Turkey as a route to enter the EU; and if he will discuss those reports with the Turkish Government.

Sir Alan Duncan: Turkey is an important partner in our efforts to counter terrorism globally, including on the subject of Daesh fighters returning from Syria and Iraq. The UK is committed to its security and that of our European partners, and will continue to work closely with them, and with the Turkish Government, to mitigate the threat these individuals may pose.

Rohingya

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what long-term plans his Department has to tackle the crisis for the Rohingya people in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Mark Field: The Government continues to press to ensure full implementation of the UN Security Council Presidential Statement proposed by the UK and secured on 6 November. The UK will continue to lobby Burma and Bangladesh to ensure that Rohingya refugee returns are safe, voluntary and in dignity; support Bangladesh in its generous effort to host the refugees; work with international partners to bring the perpetrators of human rights violations in Rakhine to justice and to press Burma to allow the UN Fact Finding Mission free and unhindered access; encourage the Burmese Government to implement in full the recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission and make Rakhine safe for Rohingya by ending discrimination with immediate effect.

China: North Korea

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Government of China on North Korea.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary spoke to the Chinese Foreign Minister on 4 August, 1 and 18 September during the UN General Assembly in September to urge China to use its influence on the DPRK regime and implement sanctions fully. The Foreign Secretary also spoke to Vice Premier Liu Yandong on 7 December during the People to People Dialogue.

Austria: Foreign Relations

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met his Austrian counterpart; and what issues were discussed at that meeting.

Sir Alan Duncan: On 19 December 2017 the Foreign Secretary called Dr Karin Kneissl, the new Austrian Foreign Minister, to congratulate her on her appointment. They discussed the bilateral relationship, migration, developments in the Middle East Peace Process, Russia and the Western Balkans.

Marine Protected Areas

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor Marine Protected Areas for illegal fishing and other proscribed maritime activities.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government's commitment to establish a Blue Belt of marine protection around the Overseas Territories is on track to deliver 4 million square kilometres of marine protection by 2020. In delivering the Blue Belt initiative, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science and the Marine Management Organisation are helping to ensure that the large scale Marine Protected Areas which have been designated, or are being developed, around the UK Overseas Territories are effectively managed, monitored and enforced. Traditional surveillance techniques, including sea and aerial patrols, are also being supplemented with trials of new techniques including satellite surveillance (radar and optical imagery); autonomous underwater vehicles; and unmanned aerial systems, to detect any illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Japan: Foreign Relations

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met his counterpart in Japan; and what issues were discussed at that meeting.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary last met Japanese Foreign Minister Kono on 14 December for the annual UK-Japan 2+2 security and defence talks. The focus was on tackling global security issues, such as the threat posed by the DPRK, and agreeing frameworks for greater bilateral security and defence cooperation.

Portugal: Foreign Relations

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met his Portuguese counterpart; and what issues were discussed at that meeting.

Sir Alan Duncan: I spoke with my Portuguese counterpart, Portugal’s Secretary of State for European Affairs Ana Paula Zacarias, on 14 August 2017. I welcomed Zacarias to her new role and we discussed the UK’s exit from the EU, our bilateral relationship and foreign policy issues of common interest.

Department for Exiting the European Union

State retirement pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether UK pensioners living in EU countries will continue to get their state pension uprated after the UK has left the EU.

Mr Steve Baker: We have now agreed with the EU that under reciprocal arrangements, the UK will continue to export an uprated UK State Pension and provide associated healthcare cover for UK nationals living in the EU who are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.This will include people who are of state pension age and those who are not yet at state pension age, once they start drawing their UK State Pension.

Ferries: Companies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to his Department's publication Ministerial Meetings: January to March 2017, if he will publish the names of the attendees at the UK Ferry Companies Roundtable attended by Lord Bridges of Headley.

Mr Steve Baker: Details of Ministerial and senior official meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are made publicly available on GOV.UK.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Families

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, to which legislation his Department has applied the Family Test, published in August 2014.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government is committed to supporting families. To achieve this, in 2014 the Department for Work and Pensions introduced the Family Test, which aims to ensure that impacts on family relationships and functioning are recognised early on during the process of policy development and help inform the policy decisions made by ministers. The Family Test was not designed to be a ‘tick-box’ exercise, and as such there is no requirement for departments to publish the results of assessments made under the Family Test.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of her Department's Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions have advised that the requested information was not available on the grounds of disproportionate cost associated with data collection and collation in the current session.

Mr Steve Baker: In the current session, the Department for Exiting the European Union has answered one​ written parliamentary question (UIN 3927) which stated that the information requested was not available on the grounds of disproportionate cost. However, on this occasion we did provide some of the information requested. This is out of a total of 573 written parliamentary questions that have been answered.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Data Protection

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many data incidents his Department (a) recorded and (b) reported to the Information Commissioner's Office in (i) 2015-16 and (ii) 2016-17.

Mr Steve Baker: To date, the Department for Exiting the European Union has not had any data security incidents which have involved the release of data or breached data protection rules. Therefore, we have had no incidents that have required reporting to the ICO.

UK Notified Bodies

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department is taking to ensure UK notified bodies can continue to provide EU certification services in the UK and elsewhere after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Steve Baker: We want a deep and special partnership with the EU which allows the freest and most frictionless possible trade in goods. As part of this partnership, we want to ensure that UK companies have the maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets, including with respect to the activity carried out by UK notified bodies.We are working closely with colleagues across government to make sure that we have a regular dialogue with UK notified bodies, and the businesses for whom they provide services, as we develop our negotiating position. In relation to the content of those discussions, we will not reveal now anything which might risk harming our negotiating position.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Stationery

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, What estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse for Departmental paper in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

Mr Steve Baker: We do not hold this information centrally. The Department occupies space in a number of OGD buildings and the way paper is procured varies depending on the building. Wherever possible, Directorates are encouraged to use the centrally managed departmental contract for procuring all stationery, including paper when not supplied as part of the accommodation agreement.

Borders: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has identified any factors which could give rise to a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and which could be resolved though (i) general EU-UK negotiations or (ii) specific solutions to address the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government is committed to avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The UK:EU Joint Report sets out our plan to address Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances and the border in the context of the wider UK-EU deep and special partnership. That is the right approach - we want a deal that works for all parts of the UK, whilst recognising Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances. These principles also address the question of a fall-back option to avoid a hard border and disruption to businesses and supply chains both sides of the border in the unlikely event that we do not reach the agreement we want. In that scenario, the Government will ensure regulatory continuity in those sectors that are crucial to cross-border cooperation, businesses and the farming community. These are sectors where cross-border policies and approaches have already received cross-community support. The Government also recalls its commitment to preserving the integrity of the UK internal market and Northern Ireland's place within it. In all circumstances, the United Kingdom will continue to ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the whole of the United Kingdom internal market.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many and what proportion of his Department's Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions in the 2017-18 Session to date have referred to the information requested not being (a) collected or (b) collated centrally.

Mr Steve Baker: In this current session, the Department has answered 14 written parliamentary questions explaining that we do not hold the information requested centrally. Of those, 6 provided some or most of the information requested. This is out of a total of 574 written parliamentary questions answered in the 2017-18 session.

Architecture: Qualifications

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department is seeking to ensure that EU member states will recognise UK architect qualifications after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: During negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, we have agreed the continued recognition of qualifications, where recognition decisions were received or where recognition procedures were ongoing before the withdrawal date. Architecture qualifications fall into scope of this agreement. On 15 December the European Council formally confirmed that sufficient progress had been made to move onto the second phase of negotiations. During these talks on our future trading relationship with the EU, we will seek to agree a continued system for the mutual recognition of professional qualifications as part of a bold and ambitious future economic partnership.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Email and Social Media

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what guidance has been issued to Ministers of his Department on the use of private email accounts and WhatsApp messaging to engage with outside organisations on issues relating to their ministerial responsibilities.

Mr Steve Baker: Upon joining the Department, Ministers for the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) are provided with a departmental email account and mobile phone, which they may use for correspondence and calls relating to their ministerial duties. DExEU Ministers are briefed by both the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on a range of topics, including the correct use of departmental IT assets.

European Banking Authority and European Medicines Agency

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many jobs will be relocated out of the UK as a result of the (a) European Banking Authority and (b) European Medicines Agency moving their headquarters out of London.

Mr Robin Walker: The decision to relocate the Agencies was one for the EU27, and the exact details of the moves are a matter for the Commission.

Chevening Scholarships Programme

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, who the multiple stakeholders within the private sector were at each Chevening business event listed in the Ministerial Meetings section of his Department's Transparency Data for July to September 2017.

Mr Steve Baker: Details of Ministerial and senior official meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are made publicly available on GOV.UK.

Department for Exiting the European Union: EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which EU (a) Directives, (b) Regulations and (c) other legislation affecting his Department he is considering to propose (i) revocation and (ii) amendment of after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Steve Baker: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will retain EU law as it applies in the UK on exit day. We expect between 800 and 1000 statutory instruments will be required across Government to correct this retained EU law to ensure the statute book functions appropriately outside the EU. All Departments are engaged in this process. Once we leave the EU, we will make our own laws. As we leave the EU, the Government’s EU exit legislative programme is designed to cater for the full range of negotiated and non-negotiated outcomes.

Department for International Development

Syria: Internally Displaced People

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance her Department provides to internally displaced women in Syria.

Alistair Burt: Women and children are particularly vulnerable in conflicts. For those internally displaced in Syria to return home safely there must be an end to the conflict and a credible political settlement. This is the only viable path towards the peace and security that the Syrian people deserve. In the meantime, the UK is providing food, healthcare, water and other life-saving relief to internally displaced people across the country. Since 2012, we have delivered 20.9 million food rations that feed a person for a month, 3.3 million vaccines against deadly diseases, and 8.1 million medical consultations for those in need in Syria.

Palestinians: Schools

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether any UK government aid is used to provides salaries for staff at any of the 31 Palestinian Authority schools which named after terrorists who have killed Israelis or at any of the three schools named after Nazi collaborators.

Alistair Burt: UK funding contributes to the salaries of individual vetted health and education Palestinian Authority (PA) public servants on the EU Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism (PEGASE) list, including PA teachers in the West Bank regardless of which school they are employed in. UK funding enables around 25,000 young Palestinians to receive an education annually.

Developing Countries: Waste Management

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department provides to developing countries to assist them in (a) producing waste management strategies, (b) tackling pollution and (c) reducing health risks associated with (i) toxic waste and (ii) other pollutants.

Rory Stewart: UK support to these issues is primarily through the Global Environment Facility, to which the UK is contributing £210 million for the period 2014-2018. The GEF has allocated $554 million of support to developing countries for waste management, to tackle pollution and to reduce toxic waste in this period.DFID is also providing some other limited assistance, including £7.6 million to the World Bank Pollution Management and Environmental Health programme, which assesses the health risks of pollution in developing countries and provides assistance to manage that pollution, and £8 million to the Global Alliance on Clean Cooking to reduce indoor air pollution.DFID is currently working with other parts of government to consider how to extend the impact of our work in this area.

Africa: Adam Smith Institute and Legatum Institute

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, in which countries in Africa has her Department commissioned work from (a) the Adam Smith Institute and (b)  the Legatum Institute in the last three years; and what the nature of that work is.

Rory Stewart: DFID has not directly commissioned any work from the Adam Smith Institute or the Legatum Institute in the last three years.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2017 to Question 118369 on Palestinians: overseas aid, what the robust verification system that validates that funds are used for the intended purposes is; and whether that system includes the payment of those funds into an account used only to pay the salaries of health and education public servants on the pre-approved EU list.

Alistair Burt: The Palestinian Authority payroll is checked by independent auditors, and UK payments made to all eligible beneficiaries are traced through the verification process. The EU Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management Assistance Mechanism (PEGASE) uses a dedicated sub-account within the PA’s Single Treasury Account for the purpose of contributing to public servant salaries. The UK has a further sub-account to only pay the salaries of West Bank health and education public servants; an independent auditor is able to confirm that funds from this sub-account reach the intended beneficiaries.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2017 to Question 118369 what assessment she has made of the whether the UK will continue to use EU funding mechanisms for its development assistance to the Palestinian Authority after the UK leaves the EU.

Alistair Burt: The UK has assessed that, having decided to focus our support solely on Palestinian Authority health and education public servants in the West Bank, the EU Palestinian-European Socio-Economic Management and Assistance Mechanism (PEGASE) offers the best value for money and the most effective way of directly providing support to Palestinians in need, whilst providing strong safeguards for UK funds. DFID constantly reviews expenditure to ensure value for money; this is no exception. The UK’s ability to use the EU PEGASE mechanism will not be affected when we leave the European Union (EU). Non-EU countries are able to channel funding through this mechanism.

Department for International Development: Aviation

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s policy is on the purchase of premium economy and business class flights by departmental senior executives; and if she will set out how much of the £24,065.94 total expenses incurred by senior executives set out in the publication DFID senior executives business expenses were due to expenditure on premium economy or business class flights.

Rory Stewart: DFID policy is for employees always to use the most efficient and economic means of travel for duty visits. All journeys of up to 5 hours must be in economy/standard class. Journeys of over 5 hours must also be in economy/standard class unless there is legitimate business approval provided in advance for a higher standard of travel.Details of Senior Executives’ expenses, which include a breakdown of expenditure on premium economy and business class flights, can be found at the following address https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/669802/travel-april-june-2017.csv/preview

Department for International Development: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by her Department in each month since May 2010; which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended; and what the net cost to (A) the public purse; and (B) business of those regulations is.

Rory Stewart: No regulations have been introduced by the Department for International Development since 2010.

Department for International Development: EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which EU (a) Directives, (b) Regulations and (c) other legislation affecting her Department she is planning to propose the (i) revocation and (ii) amendment of after the UK leaves the EU.

Rory Stewart: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will retain EU law as it applies in the UK on exit day.We expect between 800 and 1000 statutory instruments will be required across Government to correct this retained EU law to ensure the statute book functions appropriately outside the EU. All Departments are engaged in this process.Once we leave the EU, we will make our own laws. As we leave the EU, the Government’s EU exit legislative programme is designed to cater for the full range of negotiated and non-negotiated outcomes.

Israel and Occupied Territories: Overseas Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what criteria her Department employ to select projects and organisations to receive funding for people-to-people work in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I provided on 25 October 2017 to Question number 108895.

Department for International Development: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what processes her Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by her Department.

Rory Stewart: None. No regulations have been introduced by the Department for International Development.

Department for Education

Department for Education: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of her Department's Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions have advised that the requested information was not available on the grounds of disproportionate cost associated with data collection and collation in the current session.

Mr Robert Goodwill: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 December 2017.The correct answer should have been:

In the current parliamentary session (as at 13 December 2017) 2,365 2,258 written PQs have been answered by the Department. 33 (1.4%) (1.46%) of which were answered advising that the requested information was not available due to disproportionate costs.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In the current parliamentary session (as at 13 December 2017) 2,365 2,258 written PQs have been answered by the Department. 33 (1.4%) (1.46%) of which were answered advising that the requested information was not available due to disproportionate costs.

Schools: Greater London

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in London have been damaged by fires since the 2009-10 academic year; and how many of those schools were fitted with sprinkler systems (a) prior to those fires occurring and (b) since those fires occurred; and if he will make a statement.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in London have been (a) built and (b) refurbished through funding from the Education Funding Agency; how many of those schools have been fitted with sprinkler systems; and if she will make a statement.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice she has received from the London Fire Brigade on fitting sprinklers in schools which are being refurbished or newly built; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Government takes the safety of pupils and staff seriously. All schools have to follow strict fire safety regulations, including having a Fire Risk Assessment, designed to ensure that they are as safe as possible and well prepared in the event of a fire.Where sprinklers are deemed necessary to keep pupils and staff safe, following an assessment of risk at the design stage, or to meet local planning requirements, they must be fitted. All new school building projects must comply with Building Regulations, including on fire safety, and this must be independently checked by Building Control or an Approved Inspector before buildings are occupied.The Department does not collect data on the number of school fires. The Home Office publishes fire statistics on GOV.UK - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-statistics. These are taken from data supplied by the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) and includes information on educational establishments.As not all new schools are commissioned by the Department, we do not hold data on the number of all new schools that have been built with or without sprinklers installed. We do hold information on the centrally funded Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP). Of the 32 schools rebuilt in phase one of the PSBP in London, two include sprinkler systems. We do not hold comprehensive data on the number of Free Schools fitted with sprinklers as schools developed under the Free Schools programme were originally managed by the individual free school proposer groups.The Department does not liaise directly with the FRS, including the London Fire Brigade, in the design of new school buildings. The Department commissions the design and build of schools under its central programmes and the FRS may be consulted by Building Control officers or contractors on individual projects whenever necessary.Alongside the rest of Government, the Department will take forward findings from the independent review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and from the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire.

Higher Education

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Accelerated degrees: widening student choice in higher education, published on 11 December 2017,  what assessment she has made of the effect of her proposals for two-year university courses on the ability of students to seek part-time employment alongside studying to fund their living costs.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to table 1.9 of Autumn Budget 2017, what estimate he has made of level of Resource Accounting and Budgeting required for undergraduate part-time student loans as a result of the rise in tuition fees to £9250 and the proposed changes to the student loan repayment threshold.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Children in Care: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of children taken into care in the West Midlands in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The number of children who started to be looked after, and who were taken into care in the West Midlands is given in the attached table.



Children taken into care 2013-2017
(Word Document, 14.47 KB)

Schools: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education,how many schools in Coventry have been (a) built and (b) refurbished as a result of funding from the Education Funding Agency; and how many of those schools have been fitted with sprinkler systems.

Nick Gibb: The Government takes the safety of pupils and staff seriously. All schools have to follow strict fire safety regulations, including having a Fire Risk Assessment, designed to ensure they are as safe as possible and well prepared in the event of a fire.Where sprinklers are deemed necessary to keep pupils and staff safe, following an assessment of risk at the design stage, or to meet local planning requirements, they must be fitted. All new school building projects must comply with Building Regulations, including on fire safety, and this is independently checked by Building Control or an Approved Inspector before buildings are occupied.As not all new schools are commissioned by the Department, we do not hold data on the number of all new schools that have been built with or without sprinklers installed. The Department do hold information on the centrally funded Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP).The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has built or refurbished seven schools in Coventry under phase one of PSBP and of those, five schools were fitted with sprinklers.The Depatment does not hold comprehensive data on the number of free schools fitted with sprinklers as schools developed under the free schools programme were originally managed by the individual free school proposer groups. The Department is doing further work that will enable us to provide figures on sprinklers fitted in all schools delivered centrally by the ESFA.Alongside the rest of Government, the Department will take forward findings from the independent review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and from the Public Inquiry into the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.

Carers: Finance

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on levels of financial support for kinship carers; and whether that guidance sets out how those amounts differ (a) depending on the amount of children a person has in kinship care and (b) if a person has their own children at home.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The government issued statutory guidance in 2011 for local authorities about supporting family and friends providing care for children who cannot live with their parents. The guidance makes it clear that children and young people should receive the support that they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare. It explains that support, including financial support, can be provided under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. There is no limit on the level of support, including financial support, that local authorities can provide. The guidance does not specifically address the issue of supporting more than one child or where the family have their own children. However, these factors will be taken into account in the assessment of need of the family. The local authority should have in place clear eligibility criteria in relation to the provision of support services including financial support.

Education Funding Agency: Buildings

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answers of 15 September 2016 to Question 45976 and of 29 March 2017 to Question 68740, on Education Funding Agency: buildings, what steps her Department has taken to determine the future use of the former East Ham police station.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2016 to Question 48231, what was the purchase price for the former East Ham police station on 4 February 2014; and how much money has since been spent on that building and other buildings on the site.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department has acquired the former East Ham Police Station to become a free school and we are working with the City of London Academies Trust to consider its suitability for one of their schools. The purchase of East Ham Former Police Station was completed on 4 February 2014 and the purchase price was £3,350,000. The department approved £599,470 for works to the former East Ham Police Station, of which £476,947 was for the demolition of the accommodation building at the rear of the site, and the remainder was used for essential maintenance works to the Grade II listed building to ensure it was safe.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in (a) England and Wales, (b) Greater London and (c) the London Borough of Newham have sprinkler systems fitted.

Nick Gibb: The Government takes the safety of pupils and staff seriously. All schools have to follow strict fire safety regulations, including having a Fire Risk Assessment, designed to ensure they are as safe as possible and well prepared in the event of a fire.Where sprinklers are deemed necessary to keep pupils and staff safe, following an assessment of risk at the design stage, or to meet local planning requirements, they must be fitted. All new school building projects must comply with Building Regulations, including on fire safety, and this must be independently checked by Building Control or an Approved Inspector before buildings are occupied.As not all new schools in England are commissioned by the Department, we do not hold data on the number of all new schools that have been built with or without sprinklers installed. The Department does hold information on the centrally funded Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP). This programme covers schools in England only. The devolved National Assembly for Wales is responsible for schools in Wales.In England, 74 schools in total have had, or are planned to have, sprinklers fitted under the PSBP phase one. In London two schools have had sprinklers fitted under the PSBP phase one. In Newham there are no schools that have had sprinklers fitted under PSBP phase one.The Department does not hold comprehensive data on the number of free schools fitted with sprinklers in England, or London as schools developed under the free schools programme were originally managed by the individual free school proposer groups. The Department is doing further work that will enable us to provide figures on sprinklers fitted in all schools delivered centrally by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.Alongside the rest of Government, the Department will take forward findings from the independent review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and from the Public Inquiry into the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.

Children: Protection

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she next plans to update the publication entitled Keeping Children Safe in Education.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We are currently consulting on proposals to update the statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education from September 2018. The consultation opened on 14 December 2017 and closes on 22 February 2018.We plan to publish the revised guidance, for information, early in the summer term 2018. This will give schools and colleges adequate time to review their policies and procedures and make any changes necessary to meet the requirements before the guidance comes into force in September 2018.The hon. Member may wish to be aware that we have also published separate advice on sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges. This defines what sexual violence and sexual harassment is, how to minimise the risks of it happening and how to manage reports of incidents. The consultation on Keeping Children Safe in Education seeks views both on this advice and on the extent to which it should be reflected in the statutory guidance.

Music: Education

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to review the National Plan for Music Education.

Nick Gibb: The National Plan for Music Education sets out a vision for music education that gives children from all backgrounds and every part of England the opportunity to learn a musical instrument; to make music with others; to learn to sing; and to have the opportunity to progress. The Department continues to have regular meetings with music teachers to discuss aspects of the National Plan for Music Education. The current plan runs until 2020 and any proposals for a review or extension of the Plan will be announced in 2018.

Children: Day Care

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate her Department has made of the contribution of the childcare industry to the UK economy.

Mr Robert Goodwill: By 2019-20, the department will be spending around £6 billion on childcare support – a record amount. We have not recently undertaken an economic assessment of the contribution of the industry to the UK economy.

Schools: Cost Effectiveness

Chris Philp: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of areas in which savings could be made in the school system to increase expenditure on teaching.

Nick Gibb: In July, we announced that we will be investing an additional £1.3 billion in core schools and high needs funding across 2018-19 and 2019-20, in addition to the schools budget as set out in the 2015 Spending Review. This additional investment in core schools funding will be funded in full from efficiencies and savings from within the Department's budget, as we believe strongly that this funding is most valuable in the hands of head teachers and principals. We have already announced savings of £700 million from our capital budgets, primarily from delivering the free schools programme more efficiently and scaling back the Healthy Pupils Capital programme to reflect reductions in forecast revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. We are in the process of identifying the remaining savings. There is scope for schools to improve their levels of efficiency, and to find savings on their non-staff expenditure which can be reinvested into frontline teaching. Our analysis indicates that if the 25% of schools spending the highest amounts on each category of non-staff expenditure were instead spending at the level of the rest, this could save over £1 billion. The Department will continue work to deliver the initiatives set out in the Schools’ Buying Strategy (published in January 2017), to help schools deliver the best value for money from their non-staff expenditure and secure these savings.

Secondary Education: Standards

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the proportion of secondary schools rated (a) good and (b) outstanding in the (i) West Midlands and (ii) London in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: In the West Midlands, the proportion of secondary schools judged Good in their last inspection as at 31 August 2015, 2016 and 2017 was 49%, 53% and 56% while the proportion judged Outstanding over the same period was 21%, 21% and 22%.In London, the proportion of secondary schools judged Good in their last inspection as at 31 August 2015, 2016 and 2017 was 50%, 53% and 51% while the proportion judged Outstanding over the same period was 35%, 36% and 38%.Nine out of ten schools are now rated Good or Outstanding across England with 1.9 million more pupils being taught in schools rated Good or Outstanding than in 2010.As my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education said on 14 December when launching our action plan to drive social mobility through education, we want to make sure opportunities are spread evenly across the country. The action plan ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’ is available in the Libraries of both Houses.We are targeting the areas that need the most support through the £72 million ‘Opportunity Areas’ programme, and by investing £280 million over the next two years to target resources at the schools most in need to improve their performance and deliver more good school places.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice she has received from the West Midlands Fire Service on fitting sprinklers inschools.

Nick Gibb: The Government takes the safety of pupils and staff seriously. All schools have to follow strict fire safety regulations, including having a Fire Risk Assessment, designed to ensure they are as safe as possible and well prepared in the event of a fire.New school building projects must comply with Building Regulations, including on fire safety, and this is independently checked by Building Control or an Approved Inspector before buildings are occupied. Schools have a range of measures to ensure they provide a suitable standard of safety. Where sprinklers are deemed necessary to keep pupils and staff safe, they must be fitted.The Department contracts the design and build of schools under its central programmes. The Department does not liaise with Fire and Rescue Services directly, but they may be consulted by Building Control officers or individual projects.Alongside the rest of Government, the Department will take forward findings from the independent review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, and from the public inquiry into the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.

Free School Meals: Coventry South

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of primary school children who are eligible for free school meals in Coventry South constituency.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The information is published in the underlying data: SFR28/2017 of the annual ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ statistical release.www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2017.

Pupils: Sanitary Protection

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2017 to Question 5159, if she will conduct an assessment on the effect of period poverty on young women and girls in schools.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Education collects information on absences through the termly school census. The department collects data on the number of possible sessions, number of authorised absences, number of unauthorised absences and the reason for absence for each pupil. The reasons for absence do not include a category which would enable sessions missed due to a lack of access to menstrual products to be identified. Full details of the absence data we collect in the school census can be found in the census guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-census. The department has sought to establish whether there has been any rigorous national assessment of the prevalence of period poverty or its impact on attendance, however none appears available. We reached out to school stakeholders in July 2017 through the Association of School and College Leaders forum asking for contributions on the issue and have received a very limited response. The department is producing additional analysis of the absence data in order to look for evidence of period poverty and will publish findings in due course.

Special Educational Needs: Tribunals

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the (a) legal and (b) other costs incurred by local authorities in respect of special educational needs and disability tribunals in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We do not systematically collect data on the legal or other costs incurred by local authorities in respect of special educational needs and disability (SEND) tribunals.The Secretary of State and the Lord Chancellor commissioned a review of SEND disagreement resolution arrangements carried out by the Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR) at the University of Warwick, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-disagreement-resolution-arrangements-in-england-review. As part of their analysis of the cost effectiveness of mediation, estimates were collected from a sample of local authorities on the hypothetical case costs in preparing for and attending the SEND Tribunal.For a medium complexity case with no mediation and no hearing, the estimated cost to the local authority was £4,331 per appeal. For a case of the same complexity which involved no mediation but went to a full appeal, including a hearing, the estimated cost was £6,056 per appeal. These costs are broken down as follows:Preparation, of which: £4,331 Labour (time/opportunity costs)£4,123Additional financial costs£208Attendance, of which: £1,725 Labour (time/opportunity costs)£1,287Additional financial costs£438Total (preparation + attendance) £6,056  The additional financial costs above relate to legal costs and overheads, for example, but have not been broken down further in the analysis.The data collected, although offering a reasonable assessment of the costs incurred, are based on samples of which there is no way of assessing the extent to which they are representative of every local authority. As such the information should be considered indicative.

Schools: Suffolk

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding of secondary and primary schools in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency and (b) Suffolk; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: We are determined to create a country that works for everyone. That is why we are delivering on our promise to reform the unfair, opaque and outdated school and high needs funding systems and introduce the national funding formula. Commencing in 2018-19, the national funding formula will allocate funding on the basis of the specific characteristics of every school and pupil. For Suffolk County Council, the national funding formula means an increase in schools funding of 4.7% per pupil in 2018-19. Suffolk will also receive a 3.6% increase in its high needs budget in 2018-19, subject to technical adjustments made later in the year to reflect the latest data. Allocations for 2018-19 for each local authority were confirmed on 19 December 2017 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2018-to-2019. The allocations take into account the latest pupil numbers from the October 2017 census. Schools in the constituency of Bury St Edmunds are attracting an additional 2.6% per pupil through the national funding formula in 2018-19. Their final budgets for 2018-19 will however be determined through the local formula set by Suffolk County Council.

Mature Students

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's report, Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential: a plan for improving social mobility through education, published in December 2017, Cm 9541, what plans she has to extend the National Collaborative Outreach Programme to widen the participation of people aged 21 and above in higher education.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mature Students

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's report, Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential: a plan for improving social mobility through education, published in December 2017, Cm 9541, what funding will be allocated to support widening participation in higher education of people aged 21 and above.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pupils: Sanitary Protection

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children who are routinely missing school because they are unable to afford menstrual products.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will bring forward proposals to provide free menstrual products to children on free school meals.

Mr Robert Goodwill: No girl should be held back from reaching her potential because of her background or gender. Our current Sex and Relationships Education guidance encourages schools to make adequate and sensitive arrangements to help girls cope with menstruation. Schools are best placed to identify and address the needs of their pupils, have discretion over how they use their funding and can make sanitary products available to disadvantaged pupils if they identify this as a barrier to attainment or attendance. We support schools in addressing the needs of disadvantaged pupils through the provision of the Pupil Premium, equivalent to almost £2.5bn of additional funding this year alone. The department is committed to ensuring that any policy aimed at improving the attendance or attainment of pupils eligible for free school meals is based on robust evidence. We have sought to establish whether there has been any rigorous national assessment of the prevalence of period poverty or its impact on attendance, however none appears available. The department reached out to school stakeholders in July 2017 through the Association of School and College Leaders forum asking for contributions on the issue and have received a very limited response.The department collects information on absence through the termly school census. We collect data on the number of possible sessions, number of authorised absences, number of unauthorised absences and the reason for absence for each pupil. The reasons for absence do not include a category, which would enable sessions missed due to a lack of access to menstrual products to be identified. The method of data collection does not enable us to identify pupils who are routinely missing school as we collect information on the total sessions missed each term. Full details of the absence data we collect in school census can be found in the census guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-census . We are producing additional analysis of our absence data to look for evidence of period poverty and will publish findings in due course. We have made it a priority to reduce school absence for all pupils and there has been some notable success in this area, with overall yearly absence rates decreasing from 6.5% of possible sessions missed in 2006/7 to 4.6% in 2015/16.

Pupils: Sanitary Protection

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2017 to Question 82, what support the Government provides to schools to assist them to make adequate and sensitive arrangements to help girls cope with menstruation.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The government provides guidance on Sex and Relationship Education which outlines how and when schools can prepare girls and boys for puberty and menstruation. The year 5 programme of study also provides guidance to schools on how puberty should be covered in the Science curriculum. Schools and teachers should decide what to teach based on their pupils’ needs and, where appropriate, seek the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals. The Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) association supports schools by providing materials for teaching girls and boys about puberty and menstruation for children aged 8-11 and 11-12. The government is in the process of making Relationships Education in primary schools and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in secondary schools mandatory and is considering expanding this to PSHE. We have launched a call for evidence to gather the views of teachers, parents, and most importantly, young people to help us shape relationships education and RSE and determine priorities for future guidance. This was launched on 19 December 2017 and closes on 12 February 2018: https://consult.education.gov.uk/life-skills/pshe-rse-call-for-evidence.Schools are best placed to identify and address the needs of their pupils, have discretion over how they use their funding and can make sanitary products available to disadvantaged pupils if they identify this as a barrier to attainment or attendance. We support schools in addressing the needs of disadvantaged pupils through the provision of the Pupil Premium, equivalent to almost £2.5 billion of additional funding this year alone.

Pupils: Sanitary Protection

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.8 of the Sex and Relationship Education Guidelines, what is meant by the phrase make adequate and sensitive arrangements to help girls cope with menstruation; and whether the intention of that phrase extends to schools acting to provide girls with free sanitary products.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The government is clear that all young people deserve the opportunity of a rounded education that equips them with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need for adult life in modern Britain. Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) guidance thus encourages schools to prepare boys and girls for puberty, including menstruation. SRE guidance focuses primarily on supporting girls by helping them understand menstruation before they experience the onset of physical changes. However, it also prompts schools to consider providing sanitary protection for girls who start their periods at school and do not have the products necessary to continue their learning. Schools are best placed to identify and address the needs of their pupils, have discretion over how they use their funding and can make sanitary products available to disadvantaged pupils if they identify this as a barrier to attainment or attendance. We support schools in addressing the needs of disadvantaged pupils through the provision of the Pupil Premium, equivalent to almost £2.5 billion of additional funding this year alone.

Pupils: Sanitary Protection

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of school days missed by female pupils who live in households unable to afford sanitary products; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Education collects information on absence through the termly school census. We collect data on the number of possible sessions, number of authorised absences, number of unauthorised absences and the reason for absence for each pupil. The reasons for absence do not include a category, which would enable us to identify sessions missed due to a lack of access to menstrual products. Full details of the absence data we collect in school census can be found in the census guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-census. We are committed to ensuring that any action to address absence is based on robust evidence. We have sought to establish whether there has been any rigorous national assessment of the prevalence of period poverty or its impact on attendance, however none appears available. We reached out to school stakeholders in July 2017 through the Association of School and College Leaders forum asking for contributions on the issue and have received a very limited response. We are producing additional analysis of our absence data to look for evidence of period poverty and will publish findings in due course.We have made it a priority to reduce school absence for all pupils and there has been some notable success in this area, with overall yearly absence rates decreasing from 6.5% of possible sessions missed in 2006/7 to 4.6% in 2015/16.

Department for Education: Travel

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on (a) taxis, (b) first class train tickets and (c) business class air travel in each of the last four years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The table below sets out the total spend by the Department for Education in each of the last four years in respect of (a) taxis, (b) first class train tickets and (c) business class air travel. Spend in £Financial YearTaxis*First class train ticketsBusiness class air travel2016-17110,16352,86321,0952015-16124,91648,27711,6922014-15142,74177,93026,7932013-1481,11268,18732,977 *figure for taxis is drawn from the department’s expenses system. There may be expenditure for taxis through other routes but the information is not readily available and could only be compiled at a disproportionate cost.

Special Educational Needs

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the costs incurred by schools of dyslexia assessments; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Education (DfE) does not collect data on costs incurred by schools in the assessment of dyslexia. Schools are required to identify and address the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) of pupils, including arranging for appropriate tests. They receive funding which enables them to meet additional needs up to £6,000 per pupil with SEND. Building on 2013-16 funding, the DfE is funding the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) and partners in 2017-18, with £500,000 to facilitate better support for children with dyslexia. BDA resources include affordable (£20-£50) on-line screening tools.

Teachers: Training

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of  changes in the level of the provision of in-work training for teachers inacademy chains on the provision of training by specialist voluntary and third sector organisations.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department uses to assess the quality of in-work training provided to teachers in academy chains.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold the information requested. Academies, like all other schools, are responsible for the development of their teaching staff and evaluating the impact of training provided.The Department’s consultation on strengthening qualified teacher status and improving career progression for teachers is currently open and seeks views on a range of areas including options to increase access to high-quality continuous professional development. The consultation is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/teaching-profession-unit/strengthening-qts-and-improving-career-progression/.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time was for completing security checks on new members of staff in each prison in the last year.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The average time for completing security checks within each prison has been collated and is included within Annex A which accompanies this PQ.The average times contained in Annex A are based on data from 21 December 2016 (when MoJ’s new recruitment system was introduced) to 10 December 2017.



Annex A
(Excel SpreadSheet, 35 KB)

HM Inspectorate of Prisons

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will conduct an assessment of the range of reports issued by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons in England and Wales compared with the reports issued by its counterpart bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The role of the widely respected inspectorates in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is critical in ensuring that there is an objective and challenging assessment of individual prisons and criminal justice systems. There are a range of reports that are issued by these independent scrutiny bodies, including inspection reports, annual reports, thematic reports, monitoring reports and action plan reviews. Some of these reports are joint publications, for example Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons recently conducted an inspection of HMP Magilligan which was published on 12th December 2017. We are always looking at ways to maximise the impact of independent scrutiny on our prisons to improve the outcomes for prisoners. The Inspectorates are independent and it is for them to consider how best to share their learning and best practice.

Trials: Legal Costs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to reform the legal system to ensure that one side does not bear the financial risk associated with taking a case to trial and the other side cannot escape exposure to such risk through Damages Based Agreements and Conditional Fee Agreements.

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of damages based agreements and conditional fee agreements on the number of fraudulent and unmeritorious claims pursued.

Dominic Raab: Substantial reforms have been made over recent years to control the costs of civil litigation, and to deter fraudulent and unmeritorious claims. In particular, the operation of ‘no win no fee’ conditional fee agreements (CFAs) has been improved by Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012. The Part 2 reforms, which came into effect in April 2013, also allowed Damages-Based Agreements (DBAs) to be used in civil litigation for the first time. CFAs and DBAs facilitate access to justice by enabling claims to be brought by those of modest means. The Government recognises that access to justice has to be meaningful for defendants too: the Part 2 and other reforms help to ensure that claims are resolved at more proportionate cost, with the risk of litigation now being borne by claimants rather than defendants, who no longer having to pay inflated legal costs. The Government is committed to carrying out a post-implementation review of Part 2 of the LASPO Act, to be completed by summer recess 2018.

Adoption

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 February 2017, HCWS506 on  Update on the Children and Social Work Bill what the timetable is for the eligibility rules to come into force.

Dominic Raab: The Government is still considering the issue of legal aid eligibility for parents seeking to challenge these types of placement order.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of  14 December to Question 118432, how many times a Contract Management Team has notified a Community Rehabilitation Company that its staffing level is insufficient.

Mr Sam Gyimah: This Question has been interpreted as asking whether Contract Management Teams (CMTs) have formally notified Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) that staffing levels are too low and that action should be taken to increase staffing. I can confirm that over the last 12 months, CMTs have not formally notified any CRCs to take action to increase staffing levels. The contracts with CRCs require each CRC to ensure that it employs a sufficient level of staff, and that its workforce is competent and adequately trained. Our CMTs closely monitor and robustly manage providers on a local basis, taking into account the regional context, to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.

Prison Officers

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December to Question 119247, what categories of information the Government collects on detached duty.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The deployment of staff between prisons on detached duty is a regular and normal part of prison management and resourcing. These are operational decisions made on the basis of a wide range of management information and based on assessments of the current operational need and the availability of eligible staff.

Prison Officers

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December to Question 119247, if he will publish all data held by the Government on detached duty.

Mr Sam Gyimah: There is no intention to publish this information. The deployment of staff between prisons on detached duty is a regular and normal part of operational prison management, made on the basis of the current operational need.

Prisons: Expenditure

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, Pursuant to the Answer of 19 December to Question 119536, what the total expenditure was in 2017 prices on (a) public and private prisons across the whole estate, (b) public prisons and (c) private prisons in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, routinely publishes average costs per prisoner, costs per prison place and overall prison unit costs for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales. This information is produced on an annual basis and is published after the end of each financial year. Information on actual prison expenditure for previous financial years can be accessed in the Prison and Probation Performance Statistics pages for each financial year on the www.gov.uk website. Prison unit costs can be found within the Excel document Costs per prison place and cost per prisoner by individual prison establishment in the ‘Cost by Establishment’ tab. The most recent published figures for financial year 2016-17 can be accessed on the www.gov.uk website from the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-performance-statistics-2016-to-2017Within the costs per prison place and cost per prisoner 2016 to 2017 summary file, the figures for financial year 2015-16 have been restated to enable a more accurate comparison between the two years.

Parking Offences

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of private parking prosecution cases outstanding (a) at Northampton County Court Business Centre and (b) UK-wide.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mediation

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will establish a legal process by which a preliminary judgment is reached on the evidence presented at pre-trial mediation and reflected in the mediation settlement.

Dominic Raab: Any agreement reached through mediation is privileged, and any information exchanged between the mediating parties remains a private matter, unless a court orders otherwise. The Government is committed to encouraging parties to reach a resolution out of court as far as possible and it may undermine the mediation process to introduce changes to its confidential nature. Where parties apply to court with a consent order which follows on from a mediation agreement, the court already has the necessary scrutiny powers at its disposal.

Adoption

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the the Written Statement of 28 February 2017, HCWS506, on Update on the Children and Social Work Bill, whether it is his policy that those same parents will be eligible for non-means and non-merits tested legal aid for opposing an adoption order and for legal representation at the adoption hearing.

Dominic Raab: The Government is still considering the issue of legal aid eligibility for parents seeking to challenge these types of placement order.

Prisons: Smoking

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made on the implementation of a smoking ban on the prison estate in England and Wales.

Mr Sam Gyimah: There are now 68 prisons smoke free. More prisons across England are currently preparing for the safe implementation of a smoke free environment during the next six months. All prisons in Wales are already smoke free. In every prison, the decision on when to go smoke free is only taken after careful planning and preparation to ensure it is operational safe to do so and all necessary healthcare support is available to help prisoners give up smoking.

Prisons: Smoking

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made on the effect of the implementation of the smoking ban in prisons on order and discipline in those prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government remains fully committed to making all prisons smoke free. The decision to go smoke free in every prison is only taken after careful planning and preparation (Readiness Assessments); and the final decision is only taken when each prison has met stringent checks to ensure that it is safe to do so and all necessary healthcare support is available to help prisoners give up smoking. Maintaining order and control in our prisons is our priority and this large-scale project has been actively managed under usual project management disciplines.

Probate

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for grant of probate have been made in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many grants of probate have been issued in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Dominic Raab: The information below provides details of the number of grants of probate issued by the Probate service in each of the last five years. Total Number applications receivedTotal issued201225459924497720132721112555022014254602247040201528513524587020162612512622332017 ( to end Nov)278428248816Since January 2015 the Information contained in the response in regards to number of applications for a grant that have issued is in the public domain and is published in the quarterly Family Court statistics.Link to this information below:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/statistics

Probate

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, by what criteria his Department measures the efficiency of the operation of the Probate Registry.

Dominic Raab: The efficiency of the operation of the Probate Service is measured by monitoring cost in relation to volume of work and by measuring performance against the two official key performance indicators (KPIs) for the service. Information showing performance against the Probate Service KPIs is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/statistics

Probate

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason his Department does not monitor the length of time taken to process applications by the Probate Registry as a measure of that Registry's efficiency.

Dominic Raab: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does measure the length of time taken to process applications by the Probate Registry, from receipt of the application to issue of the application, as detailed in the answer to PQ 119252. HMCTS does not however, measure the length of time from issue of the application to the grant of probate.

Prisoners: Females

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women died in prison in 2017.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women who were being held on remand died in prison in 2017.

Dr Phillip Lee: Data on deaths in prison custody is published quarterly in the Safety in Custody statistics. They can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/654500/safety-in-custody-summary-q2-2017.xlsx.There was one death in custody whilst on remand between January and September 2017.

Community Orders: Females

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women received a community sentence by (a) nationality of offender and (b) offence category for each nationality in each of the last five whole reporting years.

Dr Phillip Lee: This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost

Reoffenders

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of people losing custody of children following their recall to prison in each of the last three years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was paid from the public purse in compensation to prison staff as a result of injuries suffered in a violent attack on the prison estate in 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: This information is not available until after the end of the financial year and subsequent audit process.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average caseload per caseworker has been for each Community Rehabilitation Company in the last twelve months.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Figures on the average caseload of probation officers are not collected centrally. A probation worker’s workload is not based solely on the number of cases they are managing, but the level of supervision required. The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics showing the total caseload of the National Probation Service (NPS) and the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies. Figures for total probation caseload are published quarterly in the Offender Management Statistics Bulletin, England and Wales: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly.

Probation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2017 to Question 115581, if he will publish the recent internal review into the probation system with commercially sensitive sections redacted.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Given the significant commercial nature of the review of the probation system, it would be impractical to publish redacted versions of the documentation, which were never intended for publication.

Long Lartin Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will publish the HMPPS investigation into the concerted indiscipline at HMP Long Lartin on 11 October 2017.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will publish all HMPPS investigations conducted into incidents of concerted indiscipline since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We do not publish the Investigation reports into incidents of concerted indiscipline. The information could allow prisoners to adapt their behaviour in a way that could undermine or circumvent any recommendations within the reports. This would impact negatively on the Prison and Probation Services’ (HMPPS) ability to implement changes to security processes and procedures which will in turn increase the threat to good order and discipline and staff safety.

Prisons: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions wings of privately-owned prisons have been closed due to insufficient staff levels in the 12 months.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Over the last 12 months, from January 2017 – December 2017, there has been no wing closures in privately managed prisons due to insufficient staffing levels.

National Tactical Response Group

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 119056, if he will publish quarterly figures for the number of call outs for the National Tactical Response Group.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) provides additional support staff or resources to prisons to help them deal with a variety of incidents. We currently do not publish quarterly figures for call outs of the national tactical response group. There are no plans to publish new security data.

Community Orders

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118989 on community orders, whether his Department has conducted research on the reasons for the decline in the number of community sentences cited in the answer.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Ministry of Justice collates and monitors statistics produced by relevant agencies, so that it is able to provide commentary in published statistical bulletins. Published statistics have identified several key factors in reduced numbers of community sentences, as stated in previous Answers.

Legal Aid Scheme

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118802, whether his Department made an assessment of the effect of changes to the availability of the early legal help component of legal aid on the expenditure of other Government departments.

Dominic Raab: As part of the pre-legislative consultation process which preceded the passage of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), the Government produced an impact and equality assessment. On 30 October, the Government announced the commencement of its Post-Implementation Review of the legal aid changes made by LASPO.

Rape: Trials

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2017 to Question 117911, how many of the cases selected by the CPS to assess the frequency and outcome of applications seeking to introduce into rape proceedings evidence of the complainant's sexual history under section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 involved guilty pleas.

Dominic Raab: The audit case questionnaire completed by the individual CPS areas did not capture information with regards to plea.

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to respond to the letter from the Right hon. Member for Warley on Mr Maxwell.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The response you have requested was sent out on 13 November 2017.

Crimes of Violence: Acids

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for revised guidelines on sentencing people convicted of offences involving corrosive substances to be published.

Dominic Raab: The sentencing guidelines are issued by the independent Sentencing Council. The Council is currently developing new guidelines on offences relating to possession of offensive weapons and threats to use them, which include possession and threats involving corrosive substances.

Courts: ICT

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the joint statement by The Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice, and the Senior President of Tribunals, Transforming our justice system made in September 2016, how much funding the Government plans to allocate to the digital court reform programme; and if he will Minister publish the business case for that programme.

Dominic Raab: The Government is committed to maintaining a world-leading legal system and is investing over £1bn to transform our courts and tribunals and deliver a modern, world-renowned justice system that is swifter and more accessible. Business cases are used for internal governance purposes within HMCTS and the wider Ministry and are shared with the HM Treasury to assist with funding discussions. The business case relating to court reform will not be released for external publication.

Courts: Video Conferencing

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on the commissioning research on the effectiveness of court hearings by video link in each year since 2010.

Dominic Raab: As part of HMCTS’ wider reform programme the various forms in which video links are used in hearings are kept under regular internal review to ensure they are working efficiently. There has been no external evaluation commissioned which encompasses all of the various forms of video links used in hearings. Specific projects, such as the ‘Process evaluation of pre-recorded cross-examination pilot (Section 28)’ have been undertaken by Ministry of Justice Analytical Services. This evaluation project cost a total of £54,520 spent between 2015 and 2016, and was published in September 2016.

Magistrates' Courts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of the total work undertaken in magistrates' courts was presided over by (a) lay magistrates and (b) district judges in each year since 2010.

Dominic Raab: For each year since 2010 the data are set out in the following table[1]: YearJudiciaryProportion of all hearings (%)2010Magistrates90.9% District Judges (MC)9.1%2011Magistrates90.8% District Judges (MC)9.2%2012Magistrates89.8% District Judges (MC)10.2%2013Magistrates89.5% District Judges (MC)10.5%2014Magistrates89.5% District Judges (MC)10.5%2015Magistrates90.1% District Judges (MC)9.9%2016Magistrates90.2% District Judges (MC)9.8% Magistrates and District Judges (Magistrates’ Courts) bring different but equally valuable skills to our justice system and the magistrates’ courts. We continue to work with magistrates to ensure they have as full a role as possible.[1] ‘Provides the percentage of cases that have a hearing listed in the specific periods, and where a case is listed for hearing more than once in each period, it will be counted each time it is listed. It is possible for a single defendant to have more than one cases listed at the same time. The data is a report on all criminal cases (including terrorism, extradition and Single Justice Notice proceedings), along with civil and enforcement cases, but will exclude family cases heard by the magistrates’ courts judiciary in the Single Family Court. It is possible to have magistrates sitting with District Judges at the same session; where this occurs, the case will be counted under both categories.

Courts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have appeared in court (a) via video link and (b) in person by (i) age, (ii) ethnicity and (iii) gender in the last 12 months.

Dominic Raab: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. To identify both volumes of court appearances by video and in person, with details of age, ethnicity and gender individual court records would need to be checked manually.

Courts: Video Conferencing

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of people who have appeared in court for their (a) first appearance, (b) remand hearing, (c) bail hearing, (d) case management and (e) sentencing have done so by video link in the last 12 months.

Dominic Raab: Information is not collected centrally on the proportion of court appearances by video link irrespective of the reason for the court appearance. Information collected centrally in respect of hearings is published quarterly on: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2017

Prison Sentences

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were serving prison sentences in each of the last five years; and what the average cost to the public purse per prisoner was in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service routinely publishes average costs per prisoner, costs per prison place and overall prison unit costs for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales. Additionally, the prison population numbers are included within the published data. This information is produced on an annual basis and is published after the end of each financial year. Information on prison population and expenditure for previous financial years can be accessed in the Prison and Probation Performance Statistics pages for each financial year on the www.gov.uk website. Prison unit costs can be found within the Excel document Costs per prison place and cost per prisoner by individual prison establishment in the ‘Cost by Establishment’ tab. The most recent published figures for financial year 2016-17 can be accessed on the www.gov.uk website from the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/prison-performance-statistics-2016-to-2017Within the costs per prison place and cost per prisoner 2016 to 2017 summary file, the figures for financial year 2015-16 have been restated to enable a more accurate comparison between the two years.

Rape: Trials

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Attorney General, what the cost to the public purse of the review to assess the frequency and outcome of applications to introduce a complainant’s sexual history under section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, published on 14 December 2017 was.

Dominic Raab: In addition to deploying policy resource, the Ministry of Justice paid the Crown Prosecution Service £11,243.00 to resource this review.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Caledonian Media

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, for what reasons Lord Duncan held an introductory meeting with Caledonian Media on 24 August 2017; who he met from that organisation; and what was discussed at that meeting.

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers meet with a range of stakeholders to discuss various issues on a regular basis. The Government publishes a list of all ministerial meetings with external bodies on departmental business on a quarterly basis and are available at gov.uk.

Ministry of Defence

Rosyth Dockyard: Materials Handling Equipment

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current status of the MOD-owned Goliath heavy lift crane at Rosyth is; what estimate he has made of its net disposal value; and what assessment he has made of its potential use in future naval shipbuilding programmes.

Harriett Baldwin: Options for the disposal of the Goliath crane are under consideration but no decisions have been taken.

Military Exercises

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) when and (b) for what reasons the decision was taken to cancel (i) Exercise Black Horse, (ii) Exercise Curry Trail, (iii) Exercise Orange Marauder, (iv) Exercise Southwest Sword and (v) Commando Strike.

Mark Lancaster: During 2017, as part of normal military prioritisation, the decision was taken not to conduct these exercises.

Army: Recruitment

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were recruited for the British Army from each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area in each year since 2000.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were recruited into the Royal Air Force from each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area in each year from 2000 to 2017.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him to Question 120400 on 22 December 2017.



120400 - Navy Recruitment
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Members: Correspondence

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November  to Question 114677 on Army resignations, when he expects to provide the answer to that question.

Mark Lancaster: The number of personnel who have left each Army Arm/Corps between 1 January 2017 to 30 September 2017 is shown below. These figures are for trained and untrained strength and therefore include those recruits who failed to complete Phase 1 training. Arm/ServiceRegularsArmy Future Reserves 20Staff6010Household Cavalry/ Royal Armoured Corps520150Royal Regiment of Artillery590140Corps of Royal Engineers690200Royal Corps of Signals530140Infantry2,570670Army Air Corps12020Royal Army Chaplains' Department--Royal Logistic Corps930470Royal Army Medical Corps220210Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers680280Adjutant General's Corps340100Royal Army Veterinary Corps3010Small Arms School Corps10-Royal Army Dental Corps10-Intelligence Corps110100Royal Army Physical Training Corps30-Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps7060Corps of Army Music30-Senior Soldier Continuity Posts20-General Service Corps/ General List4010Officer Training Corps-10 Notes:Those figures marked ‘Regulars’ includes personnel who left Regular, Gurkha’s, Full Time Reserve Service Full Commitment (FTRS (FC)) (excluding Lead First). Those figures marked ‘Army Future Reserves 20’ include volunteer reserves who are mobilised, High Readiness Reserves and those volunteer reserves serving on Full Time Reserve Service and Additional Duties Commitment. Sponsored Reserves who provide a more cost effective solution than volunteer reserve are also included. Personnel who transferred between the Regular, Gurkha’s and FTRS (FC) populations and FR20 populations are included in the outflow figures. Personnel who transfer between Arm/Corps are not included. Figures are for both untrained and trained strength. All Officers of Paid Rank Colonel and above are included in Staff, regardless of late Arm/Service. Regular officers (excluding Professionally Qualified Officers) join the Army as Officer Cadets in the General Service Corps. Regular soldiers are recruited into a specific Arms/Corps upon entry to Phase 1 training; however they are not officially allocated to an Arm/Service until after completion of Phase 1 training. For presentation purpose, figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. “-” denotes zero or rounded to zero.

Ministry of Defence: Christmas

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2017 to Question 119078, who paid for that Christmas drinks reception held at his Department.

Gavin Williamson: This was a private event; there was no cost to the public purse.

Ministry of Defence: Official Hospitality

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2017 to Question 119078, what his Department's policy is on the holding of party political events in (a) his Department's main building and (b) other departmental property.

Gavin Williamson: The Department follows the guidance set out in the Ministerial Code of Conduct where particular exception is allowed with regard to personal events with no expense to the public purse.

HMS Queen Elizabeth

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions has he had with BAE Systems about the leak on HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with representatives of BAE Systems since the discovery of the leak in the HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Harriett Baldwin: Ministry of Defence Ministers and officials hold regular meetings with defence contractors and suppliers, including BAE Systems and the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, to discuss a variety of subjects.

Armed Forces Day: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans are in place for Regional Armed Forces' Day events in Northern Ireland in 2018.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Armed Forces Day events provide opportunities for the nation to show their support for the Armed Forces. These events are community-led and can come in many different forms, from the national event through to local events organised by councils, ex-service organisations, community groups and schools. These events can be followed on Twitter using #SaluteOurForces. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not directly support specific Armed Forces events; other than the national event which will be held in Llandudno, in North Wales, on Saturday 30 June 2018. We do invite local authorities and community organisations to consider hosting an event and to apply for funding from the MOD. To date, in Northern Ireland, Coleraine has registered on the dedicated Armed Forces Day website that it will be holding an event including a Drum Head Service and parade. Registration opened at the end of November and, based on the very many successful events of previous years, we anticipate that over 200 events will be registered. As events are registered by their organisers, they will be published on the Armed Forces Day website: www.armedforcesday.org.uk.

Cluster Munitions: Military Bases

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information he holds on whether cluster bombs are held on US bases in the UK.

Mark Lancaster: Cluster munitions are not held on United States Visiting Forces bases in the UK.

Veterans: Scotland

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will give the Scottish Government Minister with responsibility for veterans a seat on the Ministerial Armed Forces and Veteran’s Board.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The new Ministerial Armed Forces Covenant and Veterans Board will drive forward and coordinate better Government support to the Armed Forces, their families and veterans across the whole of the UK. The devolved administrations play an important role in providing this support, which is why representatives from the Scottish Government and Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Civil Service, were invited to the inaugural meeting of the Board in October 2017. Following discussions at that meeting, the Government is considering the best arrangements for future meetings.

Syria: Military Intervention

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of civilian casualties in Syria as a result of UK air strikes.

Mark Lancaster: In carrying out airstrikes, expert analysts routinely examine data from every UK strike to assess its effect, and we do everything we can to minimise the risk of civilian casualties through rigorous targeting processes and the professionalism of the RAF crews. We co-operate fully with NGOs such as Airwars, who provide evidence they gather of civilian casualties. After detailed work on each case, we have been able to discount RAF involvement in any civilian casualties as a result of any of the strikes that have been brought to our attention.

Army: Rifles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which British Army units have received upgraded SA80 L85A3 rifles; and how many of those weapons have been produced for his Department to date.

Harriett Baldwin: As of 3 January 2018, 364 SA80 L85 A3 weapon systems have been delivered to the Army. They are currently held by the Small Arms School Corps, and the Infantry Trials and Development Unit.

RAF Volunteer Reserve

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 116991, how many members of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force qualified for their bounty in the years (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15 and (d) 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

RAF Volunteer Reserve

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average size in terms of personnel is of a Royal Auxiliary Air Force Squadron.

Mark Lancaster: Royal Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons can vary considerably in size from as little as 40 on the specialist media squadron to 250 on the movements support squadron at Brize Norton and therefore an average figure would be misrepresentative.

Royal Auxiliary Air Force: Pay

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average amount of days required for a Royal Auxiliary Air Force Reservist to serve each year is to qualify for their annual bounty.

Mark Lancaster: The majority of RAF Auxiliary (RAuxAF) personnel must serve a minimum of 27 days per year in order to be eligible for an annual bounty payment. However, ex-Regulars who join the RAuxAF within five years of retiring from Regular Service need only complete 15 days. It is possible to qualify for a reduced bounty if the Service person has joined mid-way through a training year (April to March) by undertaking a reduced commitment.

RAF Volunteer Reserve

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Reserve Service Days were undertaken by the Royal Auxiliary Air Force in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15, (d) 2015-2016 and (e) 2016-2017.

Mark Lancaster: For the Financial Years up to and including 2014-15 the information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.For Financial Year 2015-16 the total Royal Auxiliary Air Force Reserve Service Days was 66,470.For Financial Year 2016-17 the total Royal Auxiliary Air Force Reserve Service Days was 67,030.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2017 to Question 118755, whether his Department is considering both competition and a sole source option for the Prime Contract in the assessment phase for the procurement of the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle.

Harriett Baldwin: No decisions have been taken on the acquisition strategy for the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle.

Armed Forces

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the recommendations of the Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland's 2017 Manifesto for the armed forces.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Last year's Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report to Parliament, published on 18 December 2017, sets out the progress made and future intent across Government and in the Devolved Administrations towards a number of key goals in the Royal British Legion's Manifesto. These include: confirmation from the Office of National Statistics that they will recommend the inclusion of a veterans' marker in the 2021 census; an independent review of the Covenant in Business in 2018 to identify and share best practice, and an intention to consult on statutory guidance for local authorities regarding housing support for divorced and separated spouses of Service personnel. Defence Ministers were pleased to meet with the Director General of the Royal British Legion, Charles Byrne, in November 2017, and will continue to drive the Covenant agenda forward across Government via the Ministerial Covenant and Veterans Board this Year.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel who were made redundant between 2010 and 2016 were within (a) one year, (b) two years, (c) three years and (d) four years of their immediate pension point; and how many of each category were (i) officers and (ii) enlisted personnel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army Apprentice College Harrogate

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits training at AFC Harrogate completed an apprenticeship in each of the past five years; and how many of those apprenticeships were apprenticeships in Public Services.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits have (a) completed a BTEC course or (b) re-sat English or maths GCSES at AFC Harrogate in each of the past two years.

Mark Lancaster: AFC Harrogate (AFC(H)) does not offer a full BTEC course due to the lack of time available within the syllabus; instead it offers modules of a Public Services Elements (BTEC) certificate which is matched to an individual junior soldier’s need, depending on their educational attainment to date. Rather than offering GCSE re-sits, AFC(H) focuses on the delivery of functional skills training and qualifications, including Functional Skills Levels 1 and 2 in English, mathematics and ICT. These vocational qualifications are career focused and are also recognised by civilian employers. They give junior soldiers the best opportunity to progress in their career, and are therefore more relevant to advancing their social mobility. A high percentage of those who have entered through Junior Entry, and choose to remain in service, will be promoted through the ranks, to become Non Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers in the British Army after gaining these functional skills. All junior soldiers at AFC (H) are enrolled onto the Army apprenticeship, which is then transferred to a trade-related apprenticeship when they commence initial trade training, following graduation from AFC(H). To provide a detailed breakdown of achievement in apprenticeships specific to AFC(H) is not possible, as this information is not held in the required format and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Whilst the Army tracks apprenticeship achievements for all of its personnel, it does not monitor this against their points of entry, as this is not required in order to meet its business needs.

Army Apprentice College Harrogate

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the maximum training capacity is of AFC Harrogate; and how many of those places were filled at the September 2017 intake.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits began Phase 1 training at AFC Harrogate in each intake for the past three years.

Mark Lancaster: The number of Junior Entry Entrants arriving at Army Foundation College Harrogate (AFC (H)) in Training Year’s 2014-2015, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 is shown below. AFC (H) Intake Training Year2014-20152015-20162016-20171,3301,3701,410 The maximum number of spaces available at AFC (H) is 1,632 Junior Soldiers per training year. This is made up of one Junior Entry (Long) and two Junior Entry (Short) courses. The number of Junior Entry Entrants arriving at Army Foundation College Harrogate in Training Year 2017-18 to date is 900.  Notes: For presentation purpose, intake figures have been rounded to 10. Rounding is necessary, as a means of disclosure control and the preservation of anonymity; it also improves the clarity of output and conveys an appropriate level of precision to users. These figures are single service estimates only and are not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics. The intake figure for Training Year 2017-18 is comprised of Junior Entry Entrants arriving in September and October 2017. Around 270 entrants started in September and around 630 started in October. Intake is normally split between these two months. The next intake for this Training Year is due to start March 2018. AFC (H) has a total number of 1,344 bed spaces available at any one time; however, running two Junior Entry (Short) courses per year allows AFC (H) to have the maximum capacity of 1,632 stated above.

Army: Young People

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Army’s review of Junior Entry will be completed; and if he will place a copy of that review when completed in the Library.

Mark Lancaster: Work continues on the Army's Junior Entry Review. As is usual, publication will be considered as part of the presentation the Review, and its findings, to Ministers.

Armed Forces

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the fire on the move capabilities of the Armed Forces.

Harriett Baldwin: The Army regularly reviews its capabilities in order to assess its future requirements. Its Fire on the Move capability is provided by the world leading Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank for which a range of further upgrades are currently being assessed. In addition to Challenger 2, the introduction of the AJAX vehicle and the Government's upgrade plans for the Warrior Armoured Fighting vehicle will also improve the Army's Fire on the Move capabilities and ensure they remain amongst the best available to any Army.

Warrior Armoured Vehicle

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) the original planned and the (b) revised date for the delivery of warrior capability sustainment programme is.

Harriett Baldwin: The expected in-service date at approval was November 2018. The forecast in-service date as reported in the Defence Equipment Plan 2016 was July 2020. The Defence Equipment Plan 2017 is due to be published shortly.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people receiving tax credits who will be receiving universal credit at the completion of full service roll-out.

Damian Hinds: Holding answer received on 12 September 2017






An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 September 2017.The correct answer should have been:

Based on the existing tax credit data and take-up we estimate that around 5.8 3.8 million people receiving Tax Credits will be receiving Universal Credit at the completion of Full Service roll-out.

Damian Hinds: Holding answer received on 12 September 2017



Based on the existing tax credit data and take-up we estimate that around 5.8 3.8 million people receiving Tax Credits will be receiving Universal Credit at the completion of Full Service roll-out.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there are circumstances in which his Department offers payments to claimants who withdraw their appeals against decisions on personal independence payments; how many such payments have been made; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: Whether it is an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal or the Upper Tribunal, the Department does not offer payments to claimants to withdraw their Personal Independence Payment appeals.

Schools: Staff

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many injuries were reported involving inappropriate clothing or jewellery worn by staff in schools in the last 12 months.

Sarah Newton: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for the enforcement of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR), which requires employers to report certain injuries to employees. The type of clothing or jewellery worn does not determine whether an injury must be reported, and HSE do not hold any data on this issue. HSE would only advise on clothing or jewellery in the workplace where there is an identified risk to a work activity. To be reportable, injuries must have occurred as a result of, or be connected to, a work activity.

Occupational Pensions: Public Consultation

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the outcome was of the Government's consultation entitled Defined Benefits Schemes: Security and Sustainability which ended on 14 May 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: The Government published a consultation entitled Security and Sustainability in Defined Benefit Schemes on 20 February 2017. The 12-week consultation closed on 14 May 2017. Over 800 responses were received from pension scheme members (active and deferred), pensioners, scheme trustees, employers and national pension associations. We are in the process of analysing these results and we will publish a white paper in due course.

Pensions: Uprating

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require all pension schemes to index according to inflation for pre-1997 components of defined benefit pensions.

Guy Opperman: If a pensioner’s pre-1997 defined benefit pension rights include a Guaranteed Minimum Pension (GMP) earned after April 1988, that element must be increased by inflation, capped at 3 per cent. Defined benefit pensions accrued after 1997 are subject to statutory limited price indexation: inflation capped at 5 per cent for pensions accrued between April 1997 and April 2005 and inflation capped at 2.5 per cent for pensions accrued after April 2005. We have no plans to change this.

Social Security Benefits: Arrears

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a claimant is provided by his Department with a written breakdown of monies paid in cases where welfare arrears are paid to that claimant.

Caroline Dinenage: What a claimant receives varies depending on the benefit being claimed. However, the Department can provide a breakdown of arrears if a claimant or their representative requests one.

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many responsible carers with children have been sanctioned under the universal credit provisions in the last four quarters.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recommendations advanced in independent reviews of the operation of (a) personal independence payments and (b) employment support allowance his Department has (i) accepted and (ii) implemented.

Sarah Newton: The Government has welcomed the publication of both the first and second statutory Independent Reviews of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) carried out by Paul Gray. Paul Gray made a total of twenty-eight recommendations and the Government has accepted or partially accepted all of them. The Government published its response to the second Independent Review on 18 December 2017. Annexes A and B in our response sets out the progress we have made since the first Independent Review on implementing the recommendations and what we will do next to further improve PIP . The DWP had a statutory commitment to independently review the Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessment (WCA) annually for the first five years. Professor Malcolm Harrington carried out the first three Independent Reviews and Dr Paul Litchfield carried out the remaining two. In all, the Department accepted and implemented over 100 recommendations.The Government responses to the Independent Reviews of PIP can be found at:The first response to the first review -https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-pip-assessments-first-independent-review-government-responseThe second response to the first review – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-pip-assessments-first-independent-review-second-government-responseThe response to the second review - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-pip-assessment-second-independent-review-government-responseThe Government responses to the reviews of the WCA can be found at:Year 1 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-work-capability-assessment-independent-review-year-1Year 2 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-work-capability-assessment-independent-review-year-2Year 3 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-work-capability-assessment-independent-review-year-3Year 4 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-work-capability-assessment-independent-review-year-4Year 5 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-work-capability-assessment-independent-review-year-5

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the total number of people who were awarded a score of zero in the assessment of the (a) mobility and (b) daily living components of the personal independence payment in each month of the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Sarah Newton: The table below gives statistics on the number of cases given a total of zero points at assessment for the a) mobility and b) daily living components of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in each month for 1st November 2016 to 31st October 2017, the most recent twelve months for which data is available. Table 1 – number of cases scoring zero points at assessment for PIP Zero mobility, non-zero daily livingZero daily living, non-zero mobilityZero mobility and zero daily livingNov 20166,43046011,480Dec 20165,0703708,890Jan 20175,7604609,740Feb 20175,1003909,420Mar 20175,93044010,860Apr 20174,6603608,290May 20175,98049011,720June 20176,35052012,930July 20176,70063013,740Aug 20175,68057012,750Sep 20175,54049012,250Oct 20176,94060015,320Total70,1505,780137,380Source: PIP Computer System

Older Workers

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been helped to (a) remain in and (b) return to work by the Fuller Working Lives initiative in (i) the UK, (ii) Wales and (iii) Gower constituency.

Damian Hinds: The data requested is not held, however the number of older workers in the UK currently stands at 10 million workers aged 50 years with over 8.8 million individuals aged 50-64 in employment; an increase of 1.2 million people compared to five years ago. There are 1.2 million individuals in employment aged 65 and over. Employment rates for older workers have also been increasing steadily. In the past ten years, the employment rate for people aged 50-64 has increased by 6.0 percentage points (from 65.2% in 2007 to 71.2% in 2017). The employment rate for individuals aged 65 and over has almost doubled to 10.1%, from 5.1% twenty years ago. Further information on estimates of employment, unemployment, economic inactivity and other employment-related statistics for the UK can be found in the “UK labour market: December 2017” statistical bulletin published at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/december2017 Further information on labour market statistics for separate UK countries, as well as local areas, can be found at the NOMIS website:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/ The Government is committed to supporting people aged 50 years and over to remain in and return to work; the ‘Fuller Working Lives: A Partnership Approach’ strategy was published on 2nd February. This, crucially, is led by employers, but it also sets out the case for action by individuals, and the role of Government in supporting them in planning their careers and their approach to retirement. The Strategy and supporting evidence base are available at the attached web address:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fuller-working-lives-a-partnership-approach Analysis on the headline measures that the government uses to monitor progress on Fuller Working Lives can be found in this statistical release:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/economic-labour-market-status-of-individuals-aged-50-and-over-trends-over-time-september-2017

State Retirement Pensions

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Gower, (b) Wales and (c) the UK are not eligible for the new state pension due to having less than 10 years of national insurance contributions.

Guy Opperman: The New State Pension was introduced for those persons reaching State Pension age on, or after, 6th April 2016. Our latest data on the number of qualifying years people have are for the 2015/16 financial year, so we do not yet have any data on the numbers of people reaching State Pension age under the New State Pension with less than 10 years of National Insurance contributions.

Poverty: Children

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of children were living in poverty in Gower in each year for which data is available.

Caroline Dinenage: National statistics on the number of children in relative low income are set out in the annual "Households Below Average Income" publication. The number and proportion of children in relative low income is not available at local authority or constituency level in this publication because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this geography. Latest 3-year estimates for Wales of the proportion and number of children in low income are available in Table 4.16ts and Table 4.17ts in the file “4_children_timeseries_risk” from this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/599136/hbai-2015-2016-supporting-ods-files.zip

Work Capability Assessment: Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2017 to Question 118979, what estimate he has made of the proportion of clients undergoing work capability assessments who are suffering from mental ill health.

Sarah Newton: The information requested on Work Capability Assessments is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The latest available information to June 2017 on the number of completed Work Capability Assessments by International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) groupings can be found in Table 7 of the Employment and Support Allowance Outcomes of Work Capability Assessments quarterly statistics published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-december-2017

Work Capability Assessment: Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2017 to Question 118979, what assessment he has made of his Department's ability accurately to assess clients against the mental functional descriptors of the work capability assessment; and if he will review his Department's policy of not employing psychologists and psychiatrists to adjudicate in such assessments.

Sarah Newton: All Healthcare Professionals who undertake Work Capability Assessments are registered healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists or occupational therapists, with a minimum of two years broad - based post registration experience, although this can be waived in exceptional circumstances by the Department. They are subject to a thorough recruitment process that includes formal interview and all are required to pass a competency based assessment. Once recruited, they undertake a comprehensive new entrant training programme. All healthcare professionals then have 100% of their work audited until it is demonstrated that their work meets the required standards. At this stage, the Assessment Provider make a recommendation to the DWP that the healthcare professional should be formally approved. All practitioners are then subject to a programme of case reviews and audit. They are not required by DWP to hold specialist qualifications or specific previous experience in mental health conditions. As part of the induction Healthcare Professionals receive training in mental health issues and are required to read evidence based protocols on mental health conditions. In addition, they are required to engage in a programme of continuing medical education which includes modules on mental health conditions. The Work Capability Assessment is a functional assessment which focuses not on a claimant’s condition but on the functional effects of that condition. It looks at a range of different activities related to physical, mental, cognitive and intellectual functions and certain additional criteria that do not directly measure function to determine capability for work.

Work Capability Assessment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2017 to Question 118979, what the average length of time spent with clients is by (a) doctors and (b) nurses during the process of a work capability assessment.

Sarah Newton: This information is not available. The Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) only record the total time taken to undertake a Work Capability Assessment (WCA). This includes activities undertaken while the claimant is not present, for example Healthcare Professionals writing the assessment report to be submitted to DWP. Based on figures between September 2017 and November 2017, the average time to complete a full WCA by a doctor within CHDA Assessment Centres was 80 minutes. This includes undertaking complex-neurological WCA cases which take longer than average assessments. Over the same period, the average time to complete a full WCA by a nurse was 73 minutes. Nurses do not currently undertake complex-neurological WCA cases.

Social Security Benefits: Terminal Illnesses

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to social security payments for people who are terminally ill and have a variable diagnosis of life expectancy.

Sarah Newton: Special rules for people who are terminally ill provide a guaranteed entitlement to benefit, with claims dealt with sensitively, without a face-to-face assessment and under a fast track process. These rules apply across Attendance Allowance (AA), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit. For legislative purposes, someone is considered terminally ill if they have a progressive disease and death in consequence of that disease can reasonably be expected within six months. We recognise that determining life expectancy is not an exact science, therefore claimants are not asked to provide evidence of life expectancy. All claims made under these rules are assessed on the basis of the claimant’s diagnosis, current and proposed treatment and details of clinical findings. This means that many existing terminally ill claimants will remain on benefit for longer than six months, for example of the 65,500 terminally ill claimants in receipt of a disability benefit (AA, DLA or PIP), over two thirds have been on benefit for six months or more. We are committed to meeting the needs of terminally ill claimants, therefore these rules are kept under review on an ongoing basis.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December to Question 118690, on Universal Credit: Telephone Services, what the evidential basis is to support the position that people abandoned calls to use the online service; what the cost to the public purse was of abandoned calls in each month since September 2016; and what  the average length of abandoned calls was in that time period.

Damian Hinds: Universal Credit Full Service is a digital service designed to enable customers to manage their own data and account online at a time which is convenient for them. As well as giving them access to online statements for payment information, and their journal for interacting with their dedicated Case Manager and Work Coach, customers are able to report changes online when they would previously have called us. We do not currently hold any management information that specifically correlates abandoned calls to use of online services. However, as of November 2017, the percentage of customers claiming online is over 95%, and those reporting changes online is now over 80%. This type of channel shift is helping reduce the calls we receive as a percentage of the caseload: Universal Credit Full Service calls per claim ratio has decreased from 2.7 in April 2016 to 1.0 by the end of October 2017. There was no cost to the public purse for abandoned calls as this forms part of the contract we have with BT, and following the introduction of the free phone numbers to Universal Credit helplines in November 2017 there will no longer be a cost to the customer. Between September 2016 and October 2017 the average length of time before a call was voluntarily abandoned by the Universal Credit Full Service customer was 5 minutes 19 seconds. Notes – 1) The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution. 2) Data is not yet available for November 2017.

Bereavement Benefits: Cohabitation

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,  if he will make it his policy to allow surviving members of cohabiting couples to access bereavement benefits.

Caroline Dinenage: Bereavement Benefits are contributory benefits and it is a founding principle of the contributory benefits system that rights derived from another person’s contributions should be based on the concept of legal marriage or civil partnership. Moreover, proving that cohabitation existed could be a complex process likely to cause distress at a time of bereavement.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will carry out an assessment of the potential effect of the closure of Easterhouse Jobcentre on levels of poverty that area.

Caroline Dinenage: There are no plans to assess poverty levels in connection with closures of individual sites such as Easterhouse and Parkhead Jobcentres. I would stress again that the office mergers are not about reducing services, but about taking the opportunity to stop spending money on empty space so we can spend more on supporting those in need. The face-to-face support our work coaches offer at jobcentres will continue to be a core part of the service we deliver. National statistics on the number of individuals in relative low income are set out in DWP’s annual "Households Below Average Income" publication. Latest 3-year estimates for Scotland in 2013/14 - 2015/16 show the rate of individuals in low income households at 15% Before Housing Costs. The number and proportion of individuals in relative low income is not available at a local authority or constituency level because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this geography. Estimates to 2016/17 have been pre-announced to be published in March 2018.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of the closure of Parkhead Jobcentre on levels of poverty in that area.

Caroline Dinenage: There are no plans to assess poverty levels in connection with closures of individual sites such as Easterhouse and Parkhead Jobcentres. I would stress again that the office mergers are not about reducing services, but about taking the opportunity to stop spending money on empty space so we can spend more on supporting those in need. The face-to-face support our work coaches offer at jobcentres will continue to be a core part of the service we deliver. National statistics on the number of individuals in relative low income are set out in DWP’s annual "Households Below Average Income" publication. Latest 3-year estimates for Scotland in 2013/14 - 2015/16 show the rate of individuals in low income households at 15% Before Housing Costs. The number and proportion of individuals in relative low income is not available at a local authority or constituency level because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this geography. Estimates to 2016/17 have been pre-announced to be published in March 2018.

Social Security Benefits: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will monitor trends in the level of sanction decisions at Shettleston Jobcentre for 12 months after the divestment of Bridgeton, Parkhead and Easterhouse Jobcentres.

Damian Hinds: The Department is continually monitoring sanction decisions across all Jobcentres. The latest statistics regarding this can be found on Gov.uk up to June 2017 -https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-sanctions-statistics-2017

Access to Work Programme: Southwark

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many deaf people were in receipt of Access to Work payments in (a) Camberwell and Peckham constituency and (b) the London Borough of Southwark in each of the last three years.

Sarah Newton: The information is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. The Department’s analysts are currently exploring the feasibility of including payments data in the next publication of Access to Work Statistics.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2017 to Question 108665, and with reference to the Answer of 3 November 2017 to Question 109823, and the Answers of 21 December 2017 to Questions 120382 and 120384, what criteria his Department used to determine that the advertising campaign carried out to raise awareness of the new state pension age under the provisions of the 1995 Pensions Act was extensive.

Guy Opperman: Between 2001 and 2004 the Department ran a ‘pensions education’ communications campaign. The Department’s research report No 221, Public awareness of State Pension age Equalisation, published in 2004, referred to the campaign in question. It stated: This campaign included the following:advertising features in the press including information on the ‘equalisation of State Pension age’ (SPa);a ‘Women’s Pensions Pack’ containing leaflets for women on pensions and the changes in women’s SPa is available from the Pensions Service;direct mailings targeted specifically at women, highlighting that the SPa for women is changing;the Department’s State Pension forecast letters and the accompanying leaflet showing the recipient’s SPa and explaining who is affected by the changes to the SPa for women;The Pension Service website contains an interactive State Pension date/age calculator facility. This enables women and men to enter their date of birth and find out their own individual State Pension date and age. It was on bases like these that we described the campaign as “extensive”.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 120384, if he will place in the Library copies of any financial records his Department holds in relation to the pensions education communications campaign.

Guy Opperman: The Pensions Education Campaign ran from 2001 to 2004. Due to the time elapsed, the Department no longer holds any financial records for this campaign, therefore has no records to place in the library relating to the campaign.

Universal Credit

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 119929 on universal credit, when the  automated system will be be operational.

Damian Hinds: In order to roll out Universal Credit safely and securely, improvements are built into the Universal Credit IT system using a test and learn approach. We learn from our data and research before features are considered, approved and progressed. Implementing the automated system is important to us and will be prioritised in due course.

Jobcentres: Closures

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobcentre premises were closed in 2017, including centres that were merged with larger jobcentres or co-located in other government buildings.

Damian Hinds: Since the Written Ministerial Statement laid out in Parliament on 5 July 2017 confirming our plan to rationalise the DWP estate, the Department has closed 46 jobcentres up to and including 20 December 2017. The staff and services from 26 jobcentres have merged into nearby, larger Jobcentre offices, and there have been 20 co-locations with Local Authorities.

Jobcentres

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average distance a claimant travels to reach their nearest job centre for an appointment; and what the average distance is in rural areas.

Damian Hinds: DWP does not collect information on the travel times and distances for individual claimants. When DWP looked at proposed jobcentre closures, there was a reasonable expectation that claimants can travel 3 miles or 20 minutes by public transport to a new jobcentre location from their existing jobcentre. There are large areas of the country where claimants have always travelled further than this. If claimants are experiencing any difficulties with accessing DWP services, they should discuss their issues with their work coach who will be happy to help overcome any issues affecting their claim or work search.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people receiving Support for Mortgage Interest will not qualify for the loans which will replace them from April 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: All claimants currently receiving support for mortgage interest will be eligible to receive a loan from April 2018.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Hull, (b) Yorkshire and Humber and (c) the UK receive Support for Mortgage Interest, and how many of those people receive (i) Employment Support Allowance, (ii) Personal Independence Payment and (iii) Jobseekers’ Allowance.

Caroline Dinenage: The table below gives the Department’s estimates of the caseload of Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) split by benefit and selected geographies.  All SMISMI and Employment and Support AllowanceSMI and Job Seeker’s AllowanceGreat Britain110,00049,0002,000Yorkshire and Humberside9,0004,000- Table 1: SMI caseload by benefit across selected geographies Data is not available on:the number of SMI claimants in receipt of Personal Independence Payment;the number of claimants of SMI in Hull and geographies smaller than Government Office Region.The Department does not hold data on SMI in respect of Northern Ireland.Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000 cases.‘-’ denotes under 500 cases.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average Annual Percentage Rate will be for the loans which will replace Support for Mortgage Interest from April 2018, and whether that rate will vary as a result on the actuarial risk of applicants.

Caroline Dinenage: Interest will be charged on SMI loans based upon the cost of gilts as published by the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR). This rate reflects the cost of Government borrowing. The Gilt Rate Forecast for 2018-19 is 1.5%, as specified in the latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook published on the 22nd November 2017 by the OBR. There will be no variation in the interest rate charged as a result of actuarial risk.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people whose only source of income is (i) Employment Support Allowance (ESA), (ii) Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and (iii) ESA and PIP in receipt of Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI), will not  be eligible for the loans which replace SMI in April 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: All claimants currently receiving support for mortgage interest will be eligible to receive a loan from April 2018.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what qualifications health professionals completing a Personal Independence Payment medical assessment should possess to be able to assess people with a mental health issue.

Sarah Newton: Health Care Professionals (HCPs) undertaking PIP assessments must have at least 2 years post full registration experience (this refers to either UK registration or equivalent overseas registration for non-UK HCPs) or less than 2 years post full registration experience by individual, prior, written agreement with the Department. Requests by providers to employ HCPs with less than 2 years post full registration experience is rare and exceptional. All HCPs receive training on how to identify the impact of mental health conditions on claimants. This is followed by on-going professional training and support which continues for the duration of their employment in the role. In addition, Mental Health Champions support HCPs by providing additional expertise about mental health, cognitive, developmental and learning disabilities and can be referred to at any time during the assessment process. HCPs make every attempt to obtain the best evidence available to assist them in undertaking the assessment. This includes accessing evidence from Community Mental Health Teams, psychologists, psychiatrists and other medical professionals. Health Assessment Providers frequently engage with medical experts, charities and relevant stakeholders to strengthen review and update training programmes for all their assessment staff.

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Illness

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria his Department applies when assessing claimants with mental health issues for Personal Independence Payments.

Sarah Newton: All claims to Personal Independence Payment are assessed against all ten daily living activities and two mobility activities as set out in Schedule 1 of the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013 and other provisions relating to entitlement or payment. A copy of the Regulations can be accessed here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/377/contents.

Universal Credit: Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether jobcentre plus staff inform clients claiming universal credit that they are eligible to claim council tax relief in those local authority areas where this relief is still available for working-age people.

Damian Hinds: When making an online claim for Universal Credit, claimants are signposted to independent websites and benefit calculators which highlight other support that may be available in their area, including Council Tax reduction. DWP staff are aware of support available locally and this forms a key part of the conversations during the initial stages of a Universal Credit claim. They also promote national products of support, such as the online money manager developed by the Money Advice Service. There is a section on Gov.uk relating to budgeting support which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-budgeting-support-for-universal-credit-claimants

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of her Department's Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions have advised that the requested information was not available on the grounds of disproportionate cost associated with data collection and collation in the current session.

George Eustice: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have answered 14 written parliamentary questions explaining that the requested information was not available on the grounds of disproportionate cost since 20th June 2017. This is out of a total of 1,278 parliamentary questions that have been answered.

Plastics: China

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to mitigate the potential effect on the amount of plastic waste in the UK of the coming into force of restrictions imposed by China limiting the import into that country of such waste.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Secretary of State set out the Government’s position in a Written Ministerial Statement on 08 January: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-01-08/HCWS391

Sentencing: Fly-tipping

Ms Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) custodial sentences, (b) fines and (c) community sentences in deterring fly-tipping.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In 2014 the Sentencing Council introduced a new sentencing guideline for environmental crimes including fly-tipping. The guidelines were published to ensure a consistent approach to these offences is taken by courts in England and Wales. Requests for further guidance were received by the Sentencing Council from the National Fly Tipping Prevention Group, chaired by Defra, and the Environment Agency. This was due to concerns that the fines were not high enough to reflect the seriousness of the offences committed or to have a deterrent effect, and that there was an inconsistency in fine levels across the country. The guidelines encourage magistrates to make more use of the highest levels of fines for some of the more serious offences that come before the courts. It also helps sentencers more easily pitch a fine that is proportionate to the means of the offender. The Sentencing Council reviewed the effectiveness of the guidelines in 2016. The assessment showed that the level of fines for organisations has risen, but fines for individuals have not seen the same increase. Fines are the most common sentences passed for these offences, since the offences are motivated by making a profit or saving money. However, custody remains the starting point for the most serious types of individual offenders who deliberately commit a crime that causes significant or major harm. The penalties for fly-tipping are on summary conviction: imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine or both; and on conviction on Indictment: imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or a fine or both. The removal in 2015 of the £5,000 cap for maximum fines that magistrate’s courts can impose, means that magistrates can hand down an unlimited fine for a fly-tipping summary offences. In May 2016 we introduced fixed penalty notices of up to £400 for small-scale fly-tipping. This provided local authorities with an alternative to prosecutions and take a more proportionate enforcement response.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Licensing

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what advice he will be offering UK regulatory bodies on the licensing of GMOs after the UK’s exit from the EU.

George Eustice: Defra and the devolved administrations (DAs) are the regulatory bodies responsible for decisions on the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the environment. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Food Standards Scotland lead on the marketing of GMOs as food or animal feed products. Where licensing decisions are currently taken as part of a centralised EU process, the intention is for the EU rules to be converted into UK law so that a similar regulatory framework will apply after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Discussions are ongoing between Defra, the FSA and DAs on how best to convert the EU arrangements.

Food: Procurement

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to include the Eatwell Guide into Government buying standards on the public procurement of food and drink.

George Eustice: The Eatwell Plate (the forerunner of the Eatwell Guide) is referenced under the detailed Health and Wellbeing criteria (Section 2.1) of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) tool in the Plan for Public Procurement of Food and Catering Service 2014.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of his Department's Answers to Written Parliamentary Questions in the 2017-18 Session to date have referred to the information requested not being (a) collected or (b) collated centrally.

George Eustice: Defra has answered 34 Written Parliamentary Questions explaining that the requested information was not available on the grounds of it not being collected or held centrally. This is out of a total of 1,278 Parliamentary Questions that have been answered since the 20th June 2017.

Plastics: Waste

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether the ban on imports of plastic waste by the Chinese Government from January 2018 will lead to (a) the stockpiling of plastic waste, (b) an increase in incineration of plastic waste, (c) an increase in landfill comprising of plastic waste and (d) environmental pollution in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Secretary of State set out the Government’s position in a Written Ministerial Statement on 08 January: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-01-08/HCWS391

Food: Standards

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to bring forward proposals on increasing environmental protections or food product standards in 2018.

George Eustice: The Government is committed to having strong environmental protections, and on 12 November the Secretary of State set out plans to consult on a new, independent statutory body to regulate environmental policy and hold government to account on environmental commitments once the UK has left the EU. The Government is also committed to delivering and promoting robust food standards nationally and internationally, to protect consumer interests, facilitate international trade, and ensure that consumers can have confidence in the food they buy.

Fly-tipping: Wealden

Ms Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases of repeat fly-tipping have been recorded in Wealden District in the last 12 months.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra does not hold information on how many cases of repeat fly-tipping have been recorded in Wealden District in the last 12 months and to obtain the information would incur disproportionate cost. Information on fly-tipping incidents and the actions taken by Wealden District and other local authorities in England is published annually and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/env24-fly-tipping-incidents-and-actions-taken-in-england

Environment Protection

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which organisations his Department consulted in preparation for the 25 Year Environment Plan.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In order to help develop the 25 Year Environment Plan, Defra has consulted a wide range of stakeholders and organisations from relevant sectors including environmental organisations, farming organisations, land management specialists, academics, representatives from major retailers, food producing organisations, house building companies, water companies, representatives from chemical industries, local authorities, other Government departments and the Devolved Administrations. In addition to these, it has worked closely with the Natural Capital Committee.

Water Abstraction

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to give the Environment Agency additional resources to carry out the inspection of water abstraction licences as a result of the Government's announcement of changes to the licensing system of 27 November 2017.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency will use income from abstraction licensing charges to resource this work.

Balloons and Sky Lanterns: Environment

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the environmental effect of the intentional release of helium-filled balloons and sky lanterns.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that intentional releases of helium-filled balloons and sky lanterns do not negatively affect marine and terrestrial life.

George Eustice: An independent study commissioned by Defra and the Welsh Government published in 2013 to identify and assess the impacts and risks associated with sky lanterns and helium balloons concluded that any risks arising from their use to animal health, or their impact on the environment were insignificant, and reported that voluntary action and initiatives have been shown to be effective.

Ground Water: Suffolk

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many groundwater activity permits have been issued in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency and (b) Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency has issued the following number of groundwater activity permits in each of the last five years in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency and (b) Suffolk:  YearBury St Edmunds constituencySuffolk2013112014042015182016052017 (year to date)16

Flood Control: Finance

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of public spending on flood prevention in (a) Bury St Edmunds constituency and (b) the UK in each of the (i) last and (ii) next five years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The table below summarises Government investment (Flood Defence Grant in Aid or FDGiA) to flood and coastal risk management schemes in the Bury St Edmunds constituency and England between April 2012 and March 2021. Budgets for 2021-22 and beyond have not been set. YearBury St Edmunds FDGiA (£k)England FDGiA (£m)2012/1302692013/1403152014/1504792015/1604032016/176914472017/18214132018/1904502019/2004902020/210459

Wood-burning Stoves

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to discourage the use of wood-burning stoves.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Around 40% of the UK’s primary emissions of harmful particulate matter come from domestic burning of wood and coal. To tackle this we are raising consumer awareness about the impact of burning wet wood on health and working with industry to help reduce harmful emissions by encouraging people to shift from using wet/unseasoned wood to dry wood, which can halve emissions of soot and smoke. We have recently distributed an advice leaflet on open fires and wood burning stoves to all local authorities which includes advice on burning less and the benefits of quality fuels, modern appliances and regular servicing as a means to reduce environmental impact.

Water: Standards

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) the retention of high water standards in the UK and (b) international cooperation in water regulation in the event that the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We have a strong track record on protecting our water environment. We have improved more than 5,300 miles of rivers since 2010. The water environment is in the healthiest state for 25 years with otters, salmon, sea trout and other wildlife returning to many rivers for the first time since the industrial revolution. The EU Withdrawal Bill will ensure that the whole body of existing EU environmental law continues to have effect in UK law and that the same protections for the water environment are in place. The Bill will preserve the laws that have transposed EU directives, including the Water Framework Directive, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, and the Drinking Water Directive. We have committed to enhancing environmental standards as we leave the EU. We will consult on a new independent, statutory body to hold government to account and enforce standards for environmental protection. We remain committed to internationally recognised environmental principles and cooperation on water quality. The UK is a party in its own right to a number of multilateral agreements on water. These include the 1971 Ramsar Convention on the Conservation and Protection of Wetlands, the 1997 Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses, and UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation. We will continue to uphold our international obligations under these agreements.

Fish: West Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to secure the stocks of salmon and sea trout along the coast of West Sussex; and into which rivers those stocks commonly run.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency (EA) enforces byelaws to ensure that fish stocks remain healthy. These byelaws prevent the sale of rod and line caught salmonids, provide a close season during spawning and encourage fish to grow to adulthood by imposing minimum size limits for retained fish. There is no licenced net fishery along the West Sussex coast. The EA is also conserving and enhancing salmon and sea trout stocks by sharing resources with regulatory partners and by supporting communities, landowners and fisheries representatives. This includes conducting patrols with the Sussex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) to protect fish stocks from illegal plunder. The Sussex IFCA is reviewing legislative measures for protecting migratory fish, subject to consultation. The EA’s work with partners also includes improving fish passage and habitat by planting trees to provide protective shade for fish and by constructing fish passes, such as on the River Ouse at East Mascalls. Through improving water quality the Environment Agency aims to maximise fish spawning success and is working with the Sussex Flow Initiative to address pollution from diffuse sources. Young salmon (or parr) were seen for the first time on the River Ems in West Sussex during the EA’s 2016 fish survey. This is testament to the collective impact of this work.

Landfill

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much tonnage in landfill waste is generated by each (a) region of England, (b) city and (c) local authority.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Information about permitted waste activities in England, including landfill inputs, is publicly available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-management-for-england-2016

Clean Air Zones

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will expand the national network of clean air zones.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations, published in July 2017, sets out the Government’s approach to improving air quality in the shortest possible time. The plan states that due to the highly localised nature of the problem, local knowledge will be crucial to solving pollution problems in these hotspots. We have put in place a £3,5 billion air quality plan, including £475 million specifically to help local authorities develop and implement their plans. There are a range of measures local authorities can introduce, such as retrofitting buses, changing road layouts or introducing Clean Air Zones should they consider this an appropriate solution. Local authorities already have the powers required to introduce Clean Air Zones under the Transport Act 2000. A framework published in May 2017 provides guidance on the approach local authorities should take to the introduction of Clean Air Zones.

Home Office

British Nationality: Applications

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what his Department's current target is for the length of time for it to complete an application for citizenship; and what the current average waiting time is for an application for citizenship.

Brandon Lewis: The target is to decide straightforward cases within six months. Performance against that target is recorded in published data here:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-november-2017 on the tab InC_02.The latest data published shows that 100% of straightforward cases were decided within target. There is no published data on actual processing times.

Refugees: British Nationality

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of nationalisation fees on the UK's obligations  under Article 32 of the 1954 convention to facilitate the applications for British citizenship for stateless persons.

Amber Rudd: An impact assessment was completed in early 2016 which considered the changes being made as part of the Immigration and Nationality Fees Order (2016), the details of which can be found via the following link:http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2016/33/pdfs/ukia_20160033_en.pdfWe believe the current policy which requires payment of a fee for all applications for British Citizenship, meets our international obligations.Article 32 does not prohibit charging fees to stateless individuals. The current cost of limited and indefinite leave to remain for those who enter the UK on a five-year route to settlement is approximately £4,750. We feel that waiving these fees for stateless individuals up to the point of settlement, but requiring a fee upon becoming a British citizen is fair.Taking this approach does not mean that the entitlement to apply for citizenship is lost, but rather deferred, until the fee is affordable. Our current approach allows us to fulfil our convention obligations whilst reducing the burden on the UK taxpayer; therefore striking the right balance for all.

Police: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to measure the effectiveness of police forces' use of drones in response to (a) motorbike, (b) off-road bike and (c) moped related crimes.

Mr Nick  Hurd: Decisions to use drones and in which circumstances are operational matters for the police.In a study published on 30 November HMICFRS recommended that the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) publish an Air support strategy to consider how drones, rotary and fixed wing aircraft are most effectively used by police forces. The NPCC has accepted this recommendation.

EU Nationals: Skilled Workers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118914, whether the September 2018 report of the independent Migration Advisory Committee will be made available to Parliament upon completion.

Amber Rudd: The Migration Advisory Committee’s (MAC) 2018 report will be published. The MAC publishes its reports at:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/migration-advisory-committee

Home Office: Written Questions

Mr Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to answer Question 116509, tabled on 29 November 2017.

Brandon Lewis: Question UIN 116509 was answered on 21st December 2017.

Asylum

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many parents have been (a) granted and (b) refused a visa to join their child with either refugee leave or humanitarian protection in the UK in (i) 2015, (ii) 2016 and (iii) 2017.

Amber Rudd: The specific information you have requested is not currently published.Published statistics on visa applications in the Family category can be found online at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662518/entry-visas1-jul-sep-2017-tables.ods

Asylum

Heidi Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people seeking family reunion with extended family members in the UK have (a) applied for and (b) been granted asylum in exceptional circumstances in each of the last three years.

Amber Rudd: The Home Office does not record information in such a way to be able to report on the number of people seeking family reunion with extended family members in the UK and an individual cannot apply to be considered for family reunion under the exceptional circumstance arrangements. Instead, they would apply for Family Reunion under the Immigration Rules but, if they are refused under the Rules, the Home Office would then go on to consider whether there are exceptional circumstances.As such, the figures for applications and visas issued under the Rules and under the exceptional circumstances arrangements are as follows:  Total number of Family Reunion applications – age at the date of application -under 18Total number of Family Reunion applications – age at date of application - over 18Total number of Family Reunion visas issued (‘Family Other’ category)Total number of Family Reunion visas issued under exceptional circumstances arrangements20154,9803,2204,8872120164,8113,7016,098492017 (up to 30 September 2017)2,6252,8213,80149All those issued a family reunion visa are granted leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom, not asylum. The family reunion application process does not require an assessment of the applicant’s international protection needs. It is the family member in the UK that is required to have been granted refugee status or Humanitarian Protection.

Organised Crime: Drugs

Joan Ryan: What steps she is taking to tackle county lines exploitation.

Victoria Atkins: We are taking a wide range of actions to tackle county lines and are working together closely across Government, with the police, the National Crime Agency, local authorities and voluntary sector partners. Most recently, in December we implemented the new Drug Dealing Telecommunications Restriction Orders to enable the police and NCA to close down phone numbers being used for county lines drugs dealing.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Daniel Zeichner: What guidance and support her Department is providing to EU citizens on registering for settled status before the UK leaves the EU.

Amber Rudd: There will be a streamlined and digital process for EU citizens applying for settled status, that minimises the administrative burden and helps to ensure swift and successful applications. My Department is engaging frequently with representatives of EU citizens in the UK, so we can design a system that best addresses their needs. This includes guidance for the new scheme, which is being developed and will be published in due course.

Refugees

Michael Tomlinson: What steps she is taking to support refugees living in different regions of the UK.

Victoria Atkins: We are committed to supporting refugees to integrate and rebuild their lives in the UK. This is why they are given the same access to the labour market and benefits as UK residents, as well as access to English language training. The most vulnerable refugees who arrive under one of our resettlement programmes also receive a comprehensive package of support.

Direct Selling

Robert Courts: What steps she is taking to tackle doorstep crime.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Government set up the Joint Fraud Taskforce through which police, banks and trading standards work together to help protect vulnerable people from the fraudulent approaches made by doorstep criminals. The Banking Protocol, which helps bank staff recognise signs of fraud, such as unusually high cash withdrawals, has stopped over £9 million pounds from getting into criminal hands and led to over 100 arrests.

Immigration

John Spellar: How many applications for leave to remain are under consideration by her Department.

Amber Rudd: At the end of September 2017, at the time of our last published data, 86,219 applications for limited leave to remain were under consideration by the Department.

Wales Office

Economic Situation: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on its recently published economic action plan for Wales.

Alun Cairns: I have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on economic policy for Wales.The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and I met with the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure to discuss the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and the Welsh Governments Economic Action Plan. Our officials have since continued this conversation.

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 119948, on Wales Office, whether the regular meetings with Cabinet colleagues included discussion of the Shared Prosperity Fund with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Alun Cairns: Yes.

HM Treasury

Private Finance Initiative: Corporation Tax

Stella Creasy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has conducted an impact assessment on the changes to corporation tax rates between 2008 and 2020 on the tax receipts predicted by the value for money assessments in private finance contracts.

Stephen Barclay: Private finance contracts are assessed for Value for Money using the Green Book before the contract is agreed. Any privately financed option will only be pursued if it is value for money. Private finance contracts are designed to pass on a number of risks to the private sector, including the risk of a policy change in the corporation tax rates. The private sector takes this risk for the duration of the contract and it is not reassessed once the contract has been entered into.

Public Private Partnerships

Stella Creasy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2017 to Question 5727, on Department of Health: Private Finance Initiative, when the revised value for money guidance on public private partnerships will be published.

Elizabeth Truss: Public Private Partnerships should be assessed in line with The HM Treasury’s Green Book, which is currently being revised and will be published in due course.

Land Use

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what changes to taxation and other fiscal policies the Government plans to make to incentivise the productive regeneration and reuse of vacant and derelict land in the UK.

Mel Stride: The government is focusing on measures to address unused sites such as incentivising the development of derelict land through Land Remediation Relief. Also, to ensure that our brownfield and scarce urban land is used as efficiently as possible, the government will consult on introducing policy changes to make it easier to convert underused retail and employment land into housing.

Customs Officers

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many customs agents there were in the UK in each year since 2010.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold information on the number of customs agents in the UK. HMRC does not authorize customs agents and the role is not defined in Customs legislation. Individuals and companies may appoint third parties or intermediaries to act on their behalf to perform a range of services in the international supply chain including freight forwarders and/or acting as a customs representative and the term can be used to cover each of these services.

Sterling: Exchange Rates

Anna McMorrin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessments his Department has made of the implication for its policies of the devaluation of sterling since June 2016.

Stephen Barclay: The government does not express a view on the level of the exchange rate. The value of sterling adjusts flexibly in response to economic conditions and market forces. The Monetary Policy Committee independently sets monetary policy, including interest rates, to achieve the objective of price stability, currently defined as an inflation target of 2 per cent. The government will continue to monitor economic developments closely, while at the same time taking steps to promote economic growth and support individuals and businesses.

Consumer Prices Index

Anna McMorrin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessments his Department has made of the implications for its policies in the increase of consumer prices since June 2016.

Stephen Barclay: Inflation is expected to fall over the coming year, but the government recognises that families are feeling a squeeze now. The government is helping with the cost of living today by letting people keep more of what they earn, raising the National Living Wage, freezing duty on fuel and alcohol, and tackling housing costs.

Consumer Prices Index

Anna McMorrin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the Consumer Prices Index rate of inflation.

Stephen Barclay: In their November 2017 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the OBR forecast that CPI inflation would average 2.7% in 2017. This is above the Bank of England’s 2% inflation target, as the past depreciation of sterling has pushed up import prices. The OBR expect this effect to fade over 2018, so inflation is expected to fall back towards the 2% target by the end of the year. The government is helping with the cost of living today by letting people keep more of what they earn, raising the National Living Wage, freezing duty on fuel and alcohol, and tackling housing costs.

Cost of Living

Anna McMorrin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessments his Department has made on the potential effect on the cost of living of the UK leaving the EU.

Stephen Barclay: As the Chancellor made clear in front of the Treasury Select Committee on Wednesday 6 December, the department has undertaken a variety of analysis and continues to do. The Treasury has modelled and analysed the impact of a wide range of potential alternative structures between the EU and the UK. This analysis is ongoing and continues to inform our negotiation position with the EU.

Children: Day Care

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people likely to be detrimentally affected by the withdrawal of the childcare voucher scheme and replacement of that scheme with the tax free childcare scheme.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the hon member to the answer I gave on 18 December 2017 to the Right Hon Member for Sevenoaks (PQ118344).

Cryptocurrencies

Alex Sobel: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assesment he has made of the potential risks to the UK economy and markets posed by Bitcoin and other digital currencies.

Stephen Barclay: The independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC), established by the Government, aims to ensure the UK financial system is resilient to, and prepared for, the wide range of risks it could face — so that the system could support the real economy, even in difficult conditions. The Bank of England continues to monitor developments, and provided its latest assessment of the risks to financial stability in the Financial Stability Report, published in November 2017.

Public Sector Debt

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether Public Sector Net Debt is scheduled to change in the way set out by the Office for Budget Responsibility in November 2015.

Stephen Barclay: The Office for Budget Responsibility’s November 2015 debt forecasts have been superseded by more recent forecasts. The most up-to-date forecast for Public Sector Net Debt was published by the OBR at the recent 2017 Autumn Budget. This forecast shows debt starting to fall next year, and falling below 80% of GDP by 2021-22.

Cider: Excise Duties

Norman Lamb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential effect of the new duty band for high-strength white cider on the number of alcohol-related deaths.

Norman Lamb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential effect of the new duty band for high strength white cider on the number of alcohol-related hospital admissions.

Stephen Barclay: The government announced the creation of a new band for high strength ciders at Autumn Budget 2017. However a decision has not yet been made on the duty rate to be applied to products that fall within the band. When making decisions on alcohol duty HM Treasury engages with interested stakeholders, including public health organisations, to consider the impact of these decisions.

Crime: Alcoholic Drinks

Norman Lamb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the new duty band for high strength white cider on levels of alcohol-related crimes.

Stephen Barclay: The government announced the creation of a new band for high strength ciders at Autumn Budget 2017. However a decision has not yet been made on the duty rate to be applied to products that fall within the band. When making decisions on alcohol duty HM Treasury engages with interested stakeholders, including law enforcement organisations, to consider the impact of these decisions.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons tax-free childcare is not available for fostered children.

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many text messages his Department has sent to parents to remind them to re-enrol for the 30 hours of funded childcare scheme.

Elizabeth Truss: On the 13th December 2017 HM Revenue and Customs issued 18,000 text message reminders to those parents who needed to confirm their details before January to continue receiving 30 hours free childcare. Foster carers already receive funding for the care of their foster child from local authorities.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the level of abuse of the market-making exemption in relation to stamp duty.

Mel Stride: All aspects of Stamp Duty Reserve Tax are monitored by HMRC and action is taken where necessary to prevent or counter non-compliance. Intermediary relief was introduced in 1997 to safeguard liquidity and market making in the London equity market. Without the relief, market activity would fall and the chains of transactions between an ultimate seller and buyer would be subject to unsustainably high effective tax rates.

Royal Bank of Scotland: Closures

Ian Blackford: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed closure of Royal Bank of Scotland branches on the ability of local business to deposit and collect funds.

Ian Blackford: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed Royal Bank of Scotland branch closures on (a) elderly, (b) disabled and (c) vulnerable people who are unable to use online banking services.

Stephen Barclay: The industry’s Access to Banking Standard, launched in May 2017, commits banks to ensure personal and business customers are better informed about branch closures and the reasons for them closing, along with the options they have locally to continue to access banking services, including specialist assistance for customers who need more help. The Access to Banking Standard is monitored and enforced by the independent Lending Standards Board. 99% of banks’ personal and 95% of banks’ business customers are now able to withdraw cash, deposit cash and cheques, and make balance enquiries at a Post Office counter via its network of 11,600 branches. At Autumn Budget 2017, I wrote to the Post Office and UK Finance to ask them to raise public awareness of the banking services available at the Post Office for individuals and SMEs. The Government will have provided nearly £2 billion during the period 2011 to 2018 to maintain and modernise the Post Office network. In December 2018, the Government announced an additional £370 million of funding for the period 2018-2021.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Flags

Patrick Grady: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which official UK Government buildings (a) in the UK and (b) outside the UK fly the (i) UK flag and (ii) EU flag.

Chris Skidmore: I refer the hon. Member to PQ118370.This information is not centrally held and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Employment: Learning Disability

Nic Dakin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what percentage of adults with a learning disability in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and Humberside and (c) Scunthorpe constituency were in paid work in (i) 2015, (ii) 2016 and (iii) 2017.

Chris Skidmore: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 December 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.


UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 62.97 KB)




UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 194.49 KB)

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.


UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 62.97 KB)




UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 194.49 KB)

Older Workers

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the change in numbers has been of people aged 65 and over in (a) full-time and (b) part-time work over the last five years.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 151.67 KB)

Average Earnings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the median real earnings were in each region of the UK in each of the last 30 years.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 110.68 KB)

Suicide

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information he holds on which cities in the UK have the highest suicide rates per 100,000 people in each year for which data is available.

Chris Skidmore: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 21 December 2017.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.


UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 63.29 KB)




UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 67.33 KB)

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.


UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 63.29 KB)




UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 67.33 KB)

Cost of Living and Standard of Living

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timetable is for the harmonisation of the surveys on Living Costs and on Living Conditions; what consultation will take place on that harmonisation; and what the process will be for the formulation of questions for the new harmonised survey.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 115.82 KB)

Prostate Cancer: Mortality Rates

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what change there has been in survival rates for men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the last ten years.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 90.75 KB)

Young People: Gower

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many 18 to 25 year olds in Gower constituency were recorded (a) in the latest census estimate and (b) on the electoral register.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 64.48 KB)

Public Sector: Billing

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 114740, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of public sector buyers' published payment performance; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of public sector buyers who are meeting the stated 30-day payment term.

Caroline Nokes: Although their performance is not monitored routinely, public sector buyers are required to publish their payment performance annually. Data published in 2015-16 shows that by the final quarter all major departments, apart from one (at 76%), were meeting their 5 days target and that all departments were paying at least 96% of their invoices within the 30 day target, with several departments achieving 100%. Moreover, businesses can report poor payment practice and instances of late payment, including late payment through the supply chain, in public sector contracts to our Mystery Shopper service, which will then investigate

Malnutrition

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many patients were recording as having died as a result of malnutrition in NHS hospitals in each of the last 10 years.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 123.11 KB)

Prescription Drugs: Death

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for how many deaths was consumption of an excess of prescription drugs the primary cause between 2014 and 2017.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 121.85 KB)

Cabinet Office: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended; and what the net cost to (A) the public purse; and (B) business of those regulations is.

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department.

Chris Skidmore: The changes to regulations affecting business during the 2010-15 Parliament are recorded in Statements of New Regulation that were published every six months. These are available on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/one-in-two-out-statement-of-new-regulation.For the 2015-17 Parliament, the Government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that Parliament.  For the current Parliament, the Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. This will be monitored through the target that the Government is required to set under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.

Elections: Visual Impairment

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118799, what changes he recommended for the Certificate of Visual Impairment in England; and what obligations will be placed on electoral administrators as a result of those changes.

Chris Skidmore: Following discussions, including with the RNIB, I recommended widening the use of the Certificate of Visual Impairment in England to support severely sight impaired (blind) and sight impaired (partially sighted) people to participate in elections. There is no change to the support electoral administrators are required to provide to blind and partially sighted people within current statutory requirements but it increases the opportunity for people to be made aware of the services on offer and promotes communication of those services.

Cabinet Office: Staff

David Linden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 December 2017 to Question 115711, on Cabinet Office: staff, when he plans for the Europe unit to be fully staffed.

Chris Skidmore: Following a recruitment campaign at the end of 2017, current vacancies within the Europe Unit are expected to be filled shortly, depending on normal HR and security clearance processes.

Returning Officers: Pay

Cat Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will review the merits and value to the public purse of additional payments or fees for Returning Officers at local and national elections.

Chris Skidmore: The returning officer is a statutorily independent officer who is entitled, by statute, to recover payments for services rendered in administering national polls. The fee reflects the additional duties placed on the returning officer alongside duties carried out in their normal post. The fee also reflects the considerable responsibility a returning officer has in administering an election as they are ultimately responsible and liable to the courts for their actions and decisions.We are already looking to review the funding of elections, following on from changes to the funding process instituted in 2010, to seek to find efficiencies and improve value for money and intend to consider payments to Returning Officers as part of that process.The Cabinet Office is not responsible for additional payments or fees made to Returning Officers at local elections which are a matter for individual local authorities.

Electoral Register: Students

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to provide funds from the public purse for programmes to encourage students to register to vote before the next General Election.

Chris Skidmore: The government recently published the Democratic Engagement Plan that set out strategies for democratic engagement with under registered groups including students. The Plan is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-voice-matters-building-a-democracy-that-works-for-everyoneThe Cabinet Office is continuing to work with the Electoral Commission, local authorities, universities, colleges and other organisations to ensure citizens have every chance to be registered. The Government is also working to enact the student registration provisions of the Higher Education and Research Act (HERA) 2017, which encourages Higher Education providers to share information with EROs’ in order to encourage registration.



Democratic Engagement Strategy 2017
(PDF Document, 1.13 MB)

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Families

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2017 to Question HL3576, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen families.

Chloe Smith: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 22 December 2017.The correct answer should have been:

It is our assessment that no legislation taken forward by the Northern Ireland Office since August 2014 has required the application of the Family Test by the UK Government. The Government is committed to supporting families. To achieve this, in 2014 we introduced the Family Test, which aims to ensure that impacts on family relationships and functioning are recognised early on during the process of policy development and help inform the policy decisions made by Ministers. The Family Test was not designed to be a ‘tick-box’ exercise, and as such there is no requirement for departments to publish the results of assessments made under the Family Test.  Many of the policy areas linked to strengthening families in Northern Ireland are devolved matters. The UK Government is, though, helping families with the everyday cost of living by keeping taxes low, including taking 31,000 people in Northern Ireland out of paying income tax altogether (compared to 2015-16), freezing fuel duty for the eight successive year and increasing the National Living Wage again from April 2018, delivering a £600 annual pay-rise to full-time workers in Northern Ireland.

Chloe Smith: It is our assessment that no legislation taken forward by the Northern Ireland Office since August 2014 has required the application of the Family Test by the UK Government. The Government is committed to supporting families. To achieve this, in 2014 we introduced the Family Test, which aims to ensure that impacts on family relationships and functioning are recognised early on during the process of policy development and help inform the policy decisions made by Ministers. The Family Test was not designed to be a ‘tick-box’ exercise, and as such there is no requirement for departments to publish the results of assessments made under the Family Test.  Many of the policy areas linked to strengthening families in Northern Ireland are devolved matters. The UK Government is, though, helping families with the everyday cost of living by keeping taxes low, including taking 31,000 people in Northern Ireland out of paying income tax altogether (compared to 2015-16), freezing fuel duty for the eight successive year and increasing the National Living Wage again from April 2018, delivering a £600 annual pay-rise to full-time workers in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Pay

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2017 to Question 119152, what discussions he had with the (a) Democratic Unionist Party, (b) Sinn Fein and (c) other political parties prior to the publication of the Reaney review of the salaries and staff allowances of members of the Northern Ireland Assembly; on what dates those discussions took place; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Beyond acknowledging the fact that advice had been commissioned and that it was our intention to publish its recommendations, Northern Ireland Office Ministers did not hold any discussions with any political parties about Mr Reaney’s independent advice on MLA salaries and allowance prior to its publication in full on 20 December.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Pay

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2017 to Question 119152, on what date the decision was taken to publish the findings of the Reaney review of the salaries and staff allowances of members of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Chloe Smith: As has been made clear in the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s letter to Mr Reaney on 12 November commissioning his advice, it was always the Northern Ireland Office’s intention to publish it.The letter is available on the Northern Ireland Office website:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/secretary-of-state-announces-advice-on-mla-pay

Schools: North Down

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans he has to visit (a) schools with an integrated ethos and (b) other schools in North Down constituency in 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Northern Ireland Office Ministerial team engaged with groups and individuals across a wide range of sectors, including integrated education, during 2017. I look forward to this engagement continuing in 2018. My Ministerial colleagues and I have also enjoyed a number of visits to the honourable Lady’s constituency of North Down. Our immediate focus, however, continues to be on working with the Northern Ireland political parties, and the Irish Government, to secure the restoration of inclusive, stable, devolved government in Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Government

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2017 to Question 119155, whether he plans to publish the public consultation on legacy issues in Northern Ireland before March 2018.

Chloe Smith: We want to move forward to achieve progress on addressing legacy issues for victims, survivors and wider society. We hope to be in a position to consult soon with the aim of building support and confidence in the new legacy institutions from across the community.

Marriage: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will publish the dates of meetings with each of the leaders of the four main churches in Northern Ireland at which the recognition of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland was discussed; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Northern Ireland Office Ministers have a regular programme of engagement which includes community and faith groups. These meetings cover a wide range of topics. The focus of recent engagement has been the restoration of a functioning Northern Ireland Assembly, precisely so important decisions relating to issues such as same sex marriage are considered by locally accountable politicians.

Voting Rights: Females

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2017 to Question 119147, which events to mark the centenary of the suffrage movement in Northern Ireland are being organised by (a) his Department and (b) the Devolved Administration; and if he will publish the lead organiser for each such event.

Chloe Smith: While my Department is not organising any specific events to mark the centenary of the suffrage movement in Northern Ireland, the UK’s official arts programme marking the centenary of the First World War, 14-18 NOW, is commissioning activity in Northern Ireland to commemorate the suffrage centenary. I understand the Department for Communities are taking the lead on behalf of the Devolved Administration to co-ordinate a programme to mark the centenary of the suffrage movement in Northern Ireland. The honourable Lady may wish to contact both 14-18 NOW, and the Department for Communities, to find out more about their plans.

Marriage: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the dates were of the meetings he has held with the (a) Northern Ireland Equality Commission and (b) the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to discuss the recognition of same sex marriages in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Northern Ireland Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Statutory Instruments

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 119374, if the Government will introduce a motion to be considered in Government time to set up a parliamentary select committee to scrutinise statutory instruments introduced by his Department.

Greg Hands: The Government has no such plans. The organisation of parliamentary Committees is a matter for Parliament.

Trade Agreements

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118624, on trade agreements, if he will list the organisations that submitted responses.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Trade Agreements

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118985, on trade agreements, how many trades unions he has met with; and how many times he has met with each of those trades unions.

Greg Hands: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Tickets: Sales

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will list the (a) people and (b) organisations who contributed to informal consultation on implementation of Section 106 of the Digital Economy Act 2017.

Matt Hancock: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills undertook an informal consultation on the implementation of both S.105 and S.106 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 in August and September 2017. The consultation was sent to over a hundred individuals, organisations and businesses with an interest in the event ticketing market, including cultural and sporting event organisers, consumer groups and primary and secondary ticketing agencies. Most respondents restricted their comments to S.105 issues but the following organisations and individuals responded on the implementation of S.106: FanFair Alliance,Music Managers Forum,Association of Independent Festivals,Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers (STAR),Royal Shakespeare Company,Union des Associations Europeennes de Football (UEFA),CreativeArtistsAgency UK Ltd,Society of London Theatre (SOLT),ebay,Professor Waterson.

Young People: EU Grants and Loans

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many youth projects are in receipt of EU funding.

Tracey Crouch: The Department does not hold this information. There are many EU funding streams which organisations coordinating youth projects can bid into, including Erasmus Plus Youth.

Television: Licensing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what savings will accrue to the public purse on account of the BBC bearing the cost of free licensing for people aged over 75 for each of the next five years.

Matt Hancock: I refer the Honorable Member to the response to PQ HL4001. The BBC will take on the policy responsibility for the concession from 1 June 2020.

Charity Commission: Public Appointments

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she expects a new Charity Commission chair to be appointed before the current chair's role ends on 31 January 2018.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons a new Charity Commission chair has not yet been announced.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many candidates have been interviewed for the role of Charity Commission chair.

Tracey Crouch: Interviews for the role of Charity Commission chair concluded in November and an announcement is expected in due course. The recruitment process is following the Cabinet Office Governance Code for Public Appointments, including its principles of fairness, merit and openness. Six candidates were interviewed for the role

Sanitary Protection: VAT

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons her Department's Tampon Tax Fund project summary dated 30 March 2017 states that the £250,000 allocated to Live Charity will be used to provide counselling.

Tracey Crouch: The project summaries from March 2017 were taken from original applications to the Tampon Tax Fund. Between March 2017 and grant awards being finalised, projects were refined and final project activities agreed.Life Charity has been awarded £247,000 from the Tampon Tax Fund for a project that supports vulnerable, homeless or at risk women who are pregnant and have nowhere to turn. Life will not be able to use the Tampon Tax grant to fund its counselling service that considers decisions regarding pregnancy related pressures, in particular an unplanned pregnancy, or its 'Life Matters Education Service' and is prohibited from spending the money on any publicity or promotion.The grant is for a specific service in west London that aims to support vulnerable, homeless or at risk pregnant women (who have already decided to keep their babies) and mothers. Activities include training for staff and volunteers in skilled listening. Those trained will be better able to support pregnant women and mothers in preparing for and coping with motherhood. All payments will be made in arrears and on receipt of a detailed monitoring report.

Technology: Industry

Danielle Rowley: What recent assessment she has made of the potential effect on the digital and tech industries of the UK leaving the EU.

Matt Hancock: The UK digital sector currently is worth over £116 billion a year. Ensuring the sector remains strong and at the forefront of innovation is a priority for us. We published the UK Digital Strategyin March 2017, with further investment of over £500m into emerging tech announced in the November 2017 Budget and Industrial Strategy. These put in place the conditions for the UK’s digital sectors to remain world-leading, while also ensuring that the benefits of digital are felt by every business and every individual across the country. The UK will remain open for business, and will strengthen trading ties with both Europe and the rest of the world.

Charities: Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2017 to Question 117774, whether the youth full-time social action review's report and recommendations will be published in advance of the Government's response to those recommendations.

Tracey Crouch: The Chair of the review was recently granted an extension by one month, and will make recommendations to government by the end of January 2018. Timing and format of publication is to be agreed with the Chair.

Internet

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to maintain net neutrality after the UK leaves the EU; whether she plans to retain UK membership of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications after the UK leaves the EU; and whether her Department plans to maintain compliance with Regulation EU 2015/2120 after the UK leaves the EU.

Matt Hancock: We will continue strongly to support a free and open internet, as the bedrock for a thriving and innovative digital economy. As such we strongly support our net neutrality rules, which work well to help ensure users, not internet companies, are in control. As such, we are clear that users of internet services should be able to access the services they wish to, without unnecessary blocking or slowing down by providers. The UK is currently subject to net neutrality rules brought in through the EU Open Internet Access Regulation. In order to ensure the immediate continuity of legislation after we exit the EU, over the coming months the Government will be converting EU law into UK law through the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. This means that EU Regulation 2015/2120, which concerns open internet access, will continue to be in place after we leave the EU. EU Regulation 1211/2009 establishing the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) is currently subject to review, as part of the recast of the EU Regulatory Framework for Electronic Communications. The Government is seeking a deep and special future partnership with the EU, and and no decisions have yet been made. Future membership of the EU’s agencies and bodies, including BEREC, will be subject to negotiations.

Department of Health

Social Services

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2016 to Questions 32038, 32039 and 32040 on the Care Act 2014, what the timetable is for implementation of Section 18(3) of the Care Act 2014 after 2020.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government has announced that it is committed to publishing a Care and Support Green Paper by summer 2018. In developing the Green Paper, it is right that we take the time needed to debate the many complex issues and listen to the perspectives of experts and care users, building consensus around reforms which can succeed. This is why we have started a process of initial engagement over the coming months through which the Government will work with experts, stakeholders and users to shape the long-term reforms that will be proposed in the Green Paper.

Health: Males

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an assessment of behavioural changes among adult males in reporting their own medical health issues over the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: No such assessment has been made. However, there are a number of programmes funded by the Government which are likely to have a differential impact on men’s health, given evidence that men may be less likely to seek help with health problems. For example, the Government has funded the Time to Change anti-stigma campaign, which challenges attitudes towards mental health. Time to Change launched the ‘In your corner’ campaign this year which is specifically aimed at encouraging men to talk about mental health. Another example is heart disease: the British Heart Foundation states that men are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease at an earlier age than women. In 2016 NHS RightCare launched the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Optimal Value Pathway, which aims to reduce unwarranted variation to improve people's health and lessen inequalities in health access, experience and outcomes. In addition, local authorities offer the NHS Health Check to all adults aged 40-74 who do not have certain pre-existing health conditions; the Health Check therefore offers an opportunity to engage with men who might otherwise not be seen by health services. Public Health England’s One You campaign aims to improve health by encouraging adults to change their lifestyles and adopt healthier behaviours. In addition, the Men’s Health Forum are a member of the voluntary, community and social enterprise Health and Wellbeing Alliance, a group of 21 organisations and consortia which aims to bring the voice of the sector into policy making in the Department, NHS England and Public Health England. The life expectancy of both males and females continues to rise; whilst there remains a gap between female and male life expectancy, this gap is closing.

Spinal Injuries: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health,how many people have had spinal operations in the West Midlands in each of the last seven years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information is not held in the format requested. The available data from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) dataset for the years 2010-11 through to 2016-17 is shown in the table below and provides a count of finished admission episodes1 (FAEs) with a main or secondary spinal procedure2, for the West Midlands Government Office Region. Figures do not represent the number of individual patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care in the same year. YearFAEs2010-1112,4752011-1211,8932012-1311,6372013-1411,6412014-1512,1472015-1612,4222016-1712,503Source: HES, NHS DigitalNotes:1A FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.2The first recorded procedure or intervention in each episode, usually the most resource intensive procedure or intervention performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main procedure when looking at admission details, (e.g. time waited), but a more complete count of episodes with a particular procedure is obtained by looking at the main and the secondary procedures. The first recorded procedure or intervention in each episode, usually the most resource intensive procedure or intervention performed during the episode. It is appropriate to use main procedure when looking at admission details, (e.g. time waited), but a more complete count of episodes with a particular procedure is obtained by looking at the main and the secondary procedures.

Haim-Munk Syndrome: Medical Treatments

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of treatment provisions for people diagnosed with Haim-Munk syndrome

Steve Brine: Haim-Munk syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterised by the development of red, scaly thickened patches of skin. NHS England commissions specialised services for patients with rare or complex skin diseases which includes those which may be due to rare genetic disorders. NHS England has published a national service specification for specialised skin services which sets national standards and has published policies on drug therapies where appropriate. This is available at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-a/a08/

NHS: Departmental Expenditure Limits

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the Resources Department Expenditure Limit (RDEL) and (b) Capital Department Expenditure Limit for the NHS, in (i) 2017-18, (ii) 2018-19, 2019/20 and (iii) 2020-21.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department’s Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (RDEL) and Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) for the years 2017-18 – 2020-21 are outlined below: YearRDEL (£ billion)CDEL (£ billion)2017-18120.65.62018-19123.46.42019-20125.76.72020-21128.76.8 Of that total funding, National Health Service funding is confirmed each year in the Financial Directions to the NHS Mandate. Funding for the years up to 2020-21 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-mandate-2016-to-2017 The NHS Mandate and Financial Directions are refreshed on an annual basis and the latest can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-mandate-2017-to-2018 The next NHS Mandate refresh will reflect funding adjustments following the recent Budget announcements.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to oral evidence given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health to the Health Committee's inquiry Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services on 21 November 2017, what the evidential basis is for ring-fences ultimately to become ceilings.

Jackie Doyle-Price: At a local level, ring fencing has been seen to distort spending, and in line with the Health and Social Care Act 2012 this approach has been replaced by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) having the autonomy to make decisions about the health services that best meet the health needs of their local population.However, the mental health investment standard and NHS England Mental Health Dashboard have been introduced to ensure transparency and accountability and set a requirement for CCGs and specialised commissioning hubs to increase their spend on mental health services by a greater amount than the growth in their programme allocation.

NHS: Reorganisation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local authority engagement in the Cheshire and Merseyside STP.

Steve Brine: The Department has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of local authority engagement in the Cheshire and Merseyside Sustainability and Transformation Plan. Across each borough, local authorities are integral partners in developing place-based integrated health and social care systems to provide joined up, better care and improved outcomes for their populations.

Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will investigate the case of a West Lancashire constituent who required an inpatient bed at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust and was informed that the nearest available bed was in Somerset.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Day to day operational decisions about the management of individual patients are a matter for NHS England and/or the trusts with responsibility for patient care. The Government is committed to ensuring that patients with mental health conditions can receive treatment as close as possible to where they live. Inappropriate out of area placements are unacceptable and the Government has set a target to eliminate these in non-specialist, acute mental health care by 2020/21. More than £400 million has been made available for investment in mental health crisis resolution home treatment teams over the next four years, enabling them to provide 24/7 crisis response and intensive home treatment as a genuine alternative to admission where appropriate. Shared learning and best-practice advice on reducing out of area placements through improved system capacity management will be included in acute care commissioning guidance.

Department of Health: Departmental Expenditure Limits

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to Autumn Budget 2017, what recent estimate his Department has made of the (a) Resources Department Expenditure Limit (RDEL) and (b) Capital Department Expenditure Limit for his Department in (i) 2017-18, (ii) 2018-19, 2019/20 and (iii) 2020-21.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department’s Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (RDEL) and Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) for the years 2017-18 – 2020-21 are outlined below: YearRDEL (£ billion)CDEL (£ billion)2017-18120.65.62018-19123.46.42019-20125.76.72020-21128.76.8 Of that total funding, National Health Service funding is confirmed each year in the Financial Directions to the NHS Mandate. Funding for the years up to 2020-21 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-mandate-2016-to-2017 The NHS Mandate and Financial Directions are refreshed on an annual basis and the latest can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-mandate-2017-to-2018 The next NHS Mandate refresh will reflect funding adjustments following the recent Budget announcements.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to remove the need for bank statements to be submitted in support of discretionary grant applications with the England Infected Blood Support Scheme.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The discretionary payments scheme, part of the England Infected Blood Support Scheme administered by NHS Business Services Authority (NHS BSA), and the criteria under which these payments are made is currently being reviewed. As was required under the former infected blood payment schemes, the criteria for some discretionary payments may be linked to an individual’s income. One way a beneficiary could demonstrate their income is through the submission of bank statements, although NHS BSA is considering with beneficiaries other possible options as part of the review process. NHS BSA will try to keep additional information requests to support claims to a minimum.

Health Services: Prisons

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria his Department is using to monitor the performance of healthcare providers in English prisons and effect of those services on the overall health and well-being of prisoners.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Since 2013, NHS England has been responsible for commissioning health services in public sector prisons in England. When contracts are awarded a plan is established between NHS England, as commissioner, and the provider to ensure a smooth transition in the delivery of the contract specifications if there has been a change of provider, or, if the provider remains the same, a planned approach to how the provider will meet any new requirements that sit within the new contract specification. Providers and commissioners meet on a quarterly basis, for the life of the contract for contract and performance management reviews. Where there are performance issues these meetings are more frequent, weekly or monthly, and the providers will be required to provide a remedial action plan against which they will be monitored and measured. If the providers fail to meet the required quality for the delivery of the service at any time during the life of the contract, and after any improvement planning has not been productive, the local commissioners can give notice on the contract and re-procure the services.

Health Services: Prisons

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to increase the availability of stop smoking support services in prisons that have implemented a smoking ban.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Prisons are rolling out the smoke free policy, subject to a series of assessments which will test the operational stability, readiness and health readiness of the prisons to implement the policy in a safe, decent and secure way. As the roll out of the smoke free estate continues, each new cohort of prisons preparing to go smoke free must complete a state of readiness document which details that across the establishment everything is in place to ensure a smooth transition to a smoke free establishment. This includes the information sharing plan for the prisoner population, the increase in stop smoking services, and the availability of Nicotine Replacement Therapy, and e cigarettes.

Ophthalmic Services

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will take steps to ensure collection of routine data on the number of admissions for people with (a) age-related macular degeneration, (b) glaucoma and (c) diabetic retinopathy.

Mr Philip Dunne: Activity data is collected for all hospital admissions, including age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy by NHS Digital.

Pick's Disease: Medical Treatments

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of treatment provided to people diagnosed with Pick's disease.

Jackie Doyle-Price: While there is no specific treatment available for Pick’s disease, or frontotemporal dementia as it is sometimes referred to, it is important that people diagnosed with this disease and other forms of dementia receive appropriate treatment and support that can help with the symptoms. Dementia is a priority for this Government. Whilst the Government’s Dementia 2020 Challenge does not distinguish between different types of dementia, we want every person diagnosed with dementia to receive meaningful care following their diagnosis. The Challenge Implementation Plan, published in March 2016, set out the actions partners across health and care will take to ensure commitments in the 2020 Challenge are delivered. This includes ensuring every person diagnosed with dementia has meaningful care following their diagnosis, which supports them and those around them, irrespective of the type of dementia diagnosis they have. The Government has doubled research spending on dementia, with a commitment to maintain this level of spending at £60 million a year to 2020, with an ambition for overall spending on research from all sectors to double by 2025. Much of this investment is in research to better understand the nature of dementia, to inform development of future treatments and ways to prevent the onset of the condition.

Eyesight: Testing

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward a national eye health strategy.

Steve Brine: Given the size of England, and the diversity of the health needs of different communities, we believe commissioning needs to be owned and managed locally and do not, therefore, believe there is merit in having a national eye health strategy. However, the Department supports Vision UK, an umbrella organisation for the eye health and sight loss sector, which aims to improve eye health and end sight loss, improve support across eye health and social care services and improve awareness of sight loss.

Hospitals: Fire Extinguishers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of installing sprinkler systems in all hospitals.

Mr Philip Dunne: Design teams are required to consider the benefits of using sprinklers as part of the building design process for trusts. The outcomes of that process should be recorded in each trust’s fire strategy document, including where sprinklers are to be fitted and the reasons why they should not be used in specific areas. Fire safety guidance in relation to sprinklers is available in the following Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 05 publication provided to National Health Service organisations: “HTM 05-02: Firecode Guidance in support of functional provisions (Fire safety in the design of healthcare premises)” 2015 edition. All Firecode guidance is being reviewed following the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to promote the use of de-escalation techniques in Tier 4 CAMHS.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Coalition Government published ‘Positive and Proactive Care; reducing the need for restrictive interventions’ and ‘A Positive and Proactive Workforce’ in April 2014. Both guidance documents are clear that corporate training strategies to manage violence and aggression should include clear learning outcomes about effective use of de-escalation techniques, the risks associated with restrictive interventions and safe implementation of restrictive physical interventions. Additionally a multi-agency programme of work is underway to target reductions in restrictive interventions across all mental health services including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Tier 4. This includes ensuring provision of accredited training for staff to use de-escalation techniques as appropriate.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2017 to Question 112909 on in vitro fertilisation, whether his Department plans to extend the 10-year holding period for a healthy woman to freeze her eggs.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 November 2017 to Question 113114.

Gadolinium: Health Hazards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment has been made of the effect of Gadolinium on health outcomes.

Steve Brine: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency participated in a recent European-level review of gadolinium retention in the brain and other tissues following exposure to gadolinium-containing contrast agent used to enhance magnetic resonance imaging scans. The review, which completed on 24 November 2017, included a comprehensive assessment of available scientific evidence on the implication of retention of low levels of gadolinium in the brain and other tissues. The assessment found no evidence that gadolinium deposition in the brain has caused adverse neurological effects in patients, but data on long-term effects of gadolinium deposition are very limited. The outcome of the review can be found at:http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/medicines/human/referrals/Gadolinium-containing_contrast_agents/human_referral_prac_000056.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac05805c516f.

Gadolinium: Health Hazards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what reports he has received on the number of people who have been adversely affected by Gadolinium.

Steve Brine: Reports of ‘suspected’ Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme. The Scheme collects suspected ADR reports from the whole of the United Kingdom in relation to all medicines and vaccines. Reporting to the Yellow Card Scheme is voluntary for healthcare professionals and members of the public, there is however also a legal obligation for pharmaceutical companies to report all serious ADRs for their products that they are aware of. A summary of the reports received by the MHRA of people who have had a suspected adverse reaction to a gadolinium containing agent is published as an interactive Drug Analysis Profiles (iDAP) on the Yellow Card websiteiDAPs are listed by substance and there are several Gadolinium-containing contrast agents (GdCAs). The GdCAs to note are gadodiamide (Omniscan), gadoversetamide (Optimark), gadopentetic acid (Magnevist), gadobenic acid (Multihance), gadoxetic acid (Primovist), gadoteridol (Prohance), gadobutrol (Gadovist) and gadoteric acid (Dotarem). The first UK spontaneous ADR report received by the MHRA in association with a GdCA was reported in 15 July 1991 and the table below provides the number of reports and reactions reported for each contrast agent as of 31 October 2017. It should be noted that one report can contain multiple reactions. Contrast AgentNumber of ReportsNumber of ReactionsGadodiamide59119Gadoversetamide00Gadopentetic Acid160401Gadobenic Acid98267Gadoxetic Acid3473Gadoteridol272628Gadobutrol3521,013Gadoteric acid344881Gadolinium (not otherwise specified)27111 Yellow Card data cannot be used as a reliable indicator of the frequency of suspected ADRs to medicines. The level of ADR reporting may fluctuate between given years due to a variety of reasons such as a medicine being new (reporting rates are generally higher when a product is first introduced), stimulated interest/publicity and variations in exposure to the medicine. The data should be seen in the context of the many millions of people who have received gadolinium containing contrast agents. It is also important to note that Yellow Card reports are not proof of a side effect occurring but only a suspicion by the reporter that the medicine may have caused the symptoms. Yellow Card reports may therefore relate to true side effects of the medicine, or they may be due to coincidental illnesses that would have occurred in the absence of medicine.

Employment and Support Allowance: Suicide

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons his Department's report, Preventing suicide in England: third progress report of the cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives, published in January 2017 does not prioritise employment and support allowance claimants for additional help and support.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Strategy for England (2012) identified high risk groups and groups of people for whom tailored approaches to their mental health are required to address the risk of suicide. This includes people who are unemployed and those with long-term health conditions.

King's College Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time was in A&E at the King's College Hospital Denmark Hill site in each of the last seven years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information is not available in the format requested. NHS England publishes monthly performance data for accident and emergency attendances and emergency admissions. This is published at trust level rather than by individual hospital site and can be found via the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/ae-attendances-and-emergency-admissions-2017-18/

King's College Hospital

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cancer treatment waiting time was at King's College Hospital Denmark Hill site in each of the last seven years.

Steve Brine: Data is not available in the format requested. NHS England publishes quarterly performance data on cancer waiting times standards, along with monthly provisional statistics. This is published at trust level rather than by individual hospital site and can be accessed at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

Ambulance Services: Southwark

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many ambulances called in the London Borough of Southwark have responded outside the (a) Category A and (b) Category C response time target in each of the last seven years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information is not available in the format requested. Data about ambulance calls broken down by ambulance service, including performance against the service standards, is published monthly by NHS England and can be found online at the following address:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/

King's College Hospital

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many operations at King's College Hospital were cancelled in each of the last seven years.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England publishes quarterly performance data on the number of last minute elective operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons. This is published at trust level rather than by individual hospital site. This can be accessed via NHS England’s statistical work areas webpages:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancelled-elective-operations/cancelled-ops-data/

Mental Health Services

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many therapists are working in primary care at (a) March 2017 and (b) the most recent date for which data is available.

Steve Brine: The latest data available are at 31 March 2017. The figures are set out in the table below. CensusTherapists2Physiotherapists3EnglandEnglandHeadcountFull-Time Equivalent4HeadcountFull-Time Equivalent4March 2017 149173516Source: NHS Digital Notes: 1All data as at 31 March, which is the most recent date for which data is available. 2Primary Care staff working in any of the following job roles, as defined by the Workforce Minimum Data Set (WMDS) - 'Therapist- Counsellor', 'Therapist- Occupational Therapist' or 'Therapist- Other'. 3Primary Care staff working in a job role of 'Physiotherapist', as defined by the WMDS. 4Full Time Equivalent (FTE) refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours, 0.5 that they worked half time, where 1 FTE = 37.5 hours per week. Figures contain estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid Direct Patient Care (DPC) data. DPC staff group contains the job roles 'Physiotherapist', 'Therapist- Counsellor', 'Therapist- Occupational Therapist' or 'Therapist- Other'. These figures refer to therapists and physiotherapists employed directly by a primary care provider (and would not include staff working in a primary care setting but employed by other organisations - e.g. National Health Service trusts)

Mental Health Services

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to roll-out nationally Mental Health Support Teams in 2022-23 in the event that the pilot phase is successful.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Decisions about future rollout of the Mental Health Support Teams will be informed by the trailblazer programme and the outcomes of the evaluation which will help to understand what works, and will be subject to future spending reviews.

General Practitioners

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of trends in the number of GPs.

Steve Brine: NHS Digital produce quarterly publications of general practitioner workforce data. The latest figures, for September 2017, were published in November and are available at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB30149

Obesity: Children

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to review and amend the Government's childhood obesity strategy over time to account for developments in the causes and extent of such obesity.

Steve Brine: All reports and data published on progress in delivering our world-leading childhood obesity plan will be open to scrutiny. We will use this, alongside developing evidence, to determine whether sufficient progress has been made and whether alternative levers need to be considered.

Public Health England

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for the implementation of the recommendations of the McNeil Review into cancer patient data at Public Health England (PHE), and what effect that implementation will have of PHE's adherence to NHS rules on consent.

Steve Brine: The McNeil Review into Public Health England’s (PHE) data collection and data management functions considered whether, how and when these should be transferred to NHS Digital. It identified four tranches of data, based on the complexity of the processes involved in the collection and quality assurance of the data and recommended that cancer registration be considered within tranche three and only after the earlier tranches had been completed; this is expected to take at least three years. PHE and NHS Digital are currently scoping the work programme to implement the review’s recommendations. PHE will continue to process cancer data in line with current legal gateways and the National Health Service rules on consent, taking into account any changes that may arise with emerging legislative and policy frameworks.

Eating Disorders

Helen Whately: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman, Ignoring the Alarms: How NHS Eating Disoider Services are Failing Patients, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS organisations respond to complaints about breaches of patient safety in a coordinated, open and transparent way.

Mr Philip Dunne: It is important for all complaints to National Health Service organisations to be robustly investigated, with responses sent that cover the issues raised in an open and sensitive manner. In order fully to learn from mistakes, it is vital that, where appropriate, there is effective co-operation and co-ordination across organisational boundaries. The Department continues to work with system partners, including NHS England and NHS Improvement, to improve the handling of, and responses to, complaints and more general feedback across the healthcare system.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust: Vacancies

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many vacancies there are for (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) ancillary healthcare staff at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information is not available in the format requested. Health Education England’s (HEE’s) latest estimates of staff shortages and the plan for tackling these issues is set out in its Facing the Facts, Shaping the Future, A draft health and care workforce strategy for England to 2027 published in December 2017. NHS Digital publishes the number of vacancies that are advertised on NHS Jobs, the dedicated online recruitment service for the National Health Service. However, as the basis of the figures is the number of vacancies advertised for the first time in each given month, it is not possible to determine from these figures the number of vacancies live at any given point in time. The figures only cover those vacancies advertised via NHS Jobs, and it is not always possible to determine how many posts are associated with any given advertisement. The published figures are at the HEE region and do not go to the level of individual trusts. The latest figures are available at the following link: www.digital.nhs.uk/media/31747/NHS-Vacancy-Statistics-England-February-2015-March-2017-Provisional-Experimental-Statistics-Tables/default/nhs-vac-stats-feb15-mar17-eng-tables

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust: Acute Beds

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to support acute services at University Hospital Coventry.

Mr Philip Dunne: In addition to its funding from local and specialised commissioners, University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has received £2,195,994 to support the delivery of urgent and emergency care over the winter period; of this £374,000 has been earmarked to support medical staffing in the Trust. The Trust has also has been receiving support from NHS Improvement’s Emergency Care Intensive Support Programme for the last 18 months, to help the Trust to improve its urgent and emergency care performance. The Trust has also engaged with a series of NHS Improvement Collaborative events on recruitment and retention.

Raine Syndrome: Medical Treatments

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of treatment provision for people diagnosed with Raine syndrome.

Steve Brine: Raine syndrome is a rare congenital condition that largely affects the craniofacial area. Individuals with this condition will access a range of locally and nationally commissioned services according to their specific clinical needs. For example, NHS England commissions specialised assessment, surgery and follow up services for craniofacial conditions in children, including those caused by congenital conditions. The service specification can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e02-craniofacial.pdfNHS England monitors the quality of all specialised services it commissions via its Quality Surveillance Team (QST). The QST produce annual profiles of services based on self-assessment against core requirements of the service specification, clinical outcomes and external monitoring such as Care Quality Commission assessments, undertaking peer review processes as required. Specialised paediatric craniofacial services are regularly monitored via this process.

Mental Health: Children

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of the risk that cyber bullying poses to the mental health of children.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Evidence exists on the impact of bullying, including cyberbullying, on the mental health and wellbeing of children. The Government published the joint Department of Health and Department for Education ‘Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a green paper’ in December 2017, is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-mental-health-provision-a-green-paperThis sets out work by the Department of Health and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to convene a working group comprising social media and technology companies, which will consider what further action can be taken to improve the mental health of young online users and will consider tackling cyberbullying and harmful content. As part of the Government’s work to develop a Digital Charter, announced in the Queen’s speech, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport published the ‘Internet Safety Strategy’ in October 2017, which focuses on keeping all users safe online:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/internet-safety-strategy-green-paperThe Strategy covers the responsibilities of companies to their users, the use of technical solutions to prevent online harms and Government’s role in supporting users. The Strategy also includes initiatives for tackling cyberbullying. Public Health England published analysis of cyberbullying in school age children in June 2017, ‘Cyberbullying: An analysis of data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey for England, 2014’, is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/621070/Health_behaviour_in_school_age_children_cyberbullying.pdfThis analysis showed the prevalence of cyberbullying reported by schoolchildren in England and highlighted evidence that exists which shows that schoolchildren that are bullied and those who are engaged in bullying behaviour experience poorer health and wellbeing outcomes.

Transplant Surgery: Northern Ireland

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the merits for England of the organ retrieval system in Northern Ireland.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The National Organ Retrieval Service (NORS) was established by NHS Blood and Transplant in April 2010 and operates across all parts of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland. Since 2010 NORS has been successful in playing a vital role in contributing to the increase in deceased donors and organ transplants. As a key component of the organ donation and transplantation infrastructure, it provides a national 24 hour service for retrieving organs from deceased donors. NORS ensures the best possible transplant outcomes are achieved for all organs offered. Thanks to donors and their families’ selfless generosity, thousands of lives are saved every year.

King's College Hospital: Surgery

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients have died while on a waiting list at King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill for (a) heart surgery and (b) neurosurgery in each of the last seven years.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally.

King's College Hospital: Waiting Lists

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients have waited over 18 weeks for (a) elective operations and (b) non-surgical procedures at King's College Hospital's Denmark Hill site in each of the last seven years.

Mr Philip Dunne: Data is not available in the format requested. NHS England publishes monthly performance data on Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times for both admitted and non-admitted procedures. This is published at trust level rather than by individual hospital site and can be accessed at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/

Postnatal Depression

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, Health what discussions he has had with NCT on the identification of postnatal problems in that organisations Hidden Half campaign.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Ministers have not met with representatives from the National Childbirth Trust, but are aware of their Hidden Half campaign. This Government is committed to improving perinatal mental health services for women during pregnancy and in the first postnatal year, so that women are able to access the right care at the right time and close to home. A key element of NHS England’s £365 million perinatal mental health transformation programme is to increase awareness and skills across the workforce. The six week postnatal check is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance on postnatal care and identified as a crucial element of postnatal care by NHS England’s National Maternity Review. This check should make an assessment of how a woman has made the transition to motherhood, including her mental health.

EU Rapid Alert Systems for Food and Feed

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the UK will continue to participate in the EU Rapid Alert Systems for Food and Feed after the UK leaves the EU.

Steve Brine: The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed is important in enabling the management of food and feed safety risks by providing early alerts of health or food contamination issues across the European Union. At present, this enables the United Kingdom to respond quickly to serious risks to public health relating to food and animal feed. The Government is considering the best approach for the management of notification of food and feed safety risks once we have left the EU. It will be our priority to maintain the UK’s high standards of food and feed safety, and continue to be able to provide a timely response to food safety incidents. This is essential for the protection of public health, and for maintaining consumer confidence in food.

Organs: Donors

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefit of measures to support organ donation other than an opt-out system.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The last major review of organ donation in 2008 concluded that the case for a change to the law on consent was finely balanced and that other aspects of the systems supporting donation should be developed before any change to the law. Those actions, included in the United Kingdom-wide strategy Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020, have resulted in year on year growth in the number of transplants, seen the number of people on the NHS Organ Donation Register increase by almost five million people over the last five years and, in 2016/17, the highest ever deceased donor rates in England. The Government wants to see rates of transplantation in England amongst the best in the world and is keen to explore all options to increase the availability of suitable organs for transplantation. As part of the consultation on an opt-out system of consent, the Government has invited further evidence to be submitted which could impact on the desired outcome to increase the number of organs for transplant in England. This evidence will be carefully considered before the Government responds.

Women and Equalities

Sanitary Protection: Scotland

David Linden: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has met her counterpart in the Scottish Government to discuss its initiative to provide sanitary products to women and girls on low incomes.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Officials at the Department for Education hold regular discussions with officials in the devolved administrations about the issue of sanitary protection provision in schools; the last meeting on this topic was held in November 2017 and the next discussion is due take place in January 2018. My hon. Friend, the Minister for Women and Equalities has not met her counterpart in the Scottish Government but has been updated on the discussions held. Officials in the Scottish Government have committed to update the Department for Education on all relevant initiatives, including their Aberdeen pilot when information about its impact and affordability becomes available.

Government Equalities Office: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities,  what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by her Department in each month since May 2010; which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended; and what the net cost to (A) the public purse; and (B) business of those regulations is.

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what processes her Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by her Department.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The following sets of regulations have been introduced by the Minister for Women and Equalities since May 2010: The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 SI 2011/2260 (revoked by SI 2017/353)The Equality Act 2010 (Equal Pay Audits) Regulations 2014 SI 2014/2559The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 SI 2017/172The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017 SI 2017/353. The Impact Assessments for the first three sets of regulations, setting out in detail the net costs or benefits, can be found at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/2260/impacts http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2014/202/pdfs/ukia_20140202_en.pdf http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2017/9780111152010/resources.  A separate impact assessment was not prepared for SI 2017/353 because the scope of the regulations was public sector only. However, the average annual recurring cost of complying with the new gender pay gap reporting requirements for employers in the public sector was estimated to be less than £500 per annum, in line with the impact assessment for SI 2017/172. The table below sets out answers to the other aspects of the question: SIMonth of CommencementOne in one outOne in two outRevokedAmended2011/2260SeptemberNoNoYesNo2014/2559OctoberNoNoNoNo2017/172AprilNoNoNoNo2017/353MarchNoNoNoNo The changes to regulations affecting business during the 2010-15 Parliament are recorded in Statements of New Regulation that were published every six months. These are available on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/one-in-two-out-statement-of-new-regulation. For the 2015-17 Parliament, the government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that Parliament. For the current Parliament, the government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. The government has published guidance for departments on the statutory requirements that all new regulations contain a requirement for a review at a suitable point after their implementation. This can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/small-business-enterprise-and-employment-act-statutory-review-requirements. The impact assessment for a new regulation should set out the plan for a post-implementation review of the measure, typically within five years of it coming into force. The review should assess if the objectives of the regulation were achieved, remain valid and relevant, and whether they could be achieved in a less burdensome way.

Government Equalities Office: EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, which EU (a) Directives, (b) Regulations and (c) other legislation affecting her Department she is planning to propose (i) revocation and (ii) amendment of after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill: EU law will be retained by the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, as it applies in the UK on the day the we leave the EU. We expect between 800 and 1000 statutory instruments will be required across government to correct this retained EU law to ensure the statute book functions appropriately outside the EU. All departments are engaged in this process. Once we leave the EU, we will make our own laws. As we leave the EU, the government’s EU exit legislative programme is designed to cater for the full range of negotiated and non-negotiated outcomes.